English National Ballet, Mayflower, Southampton AN extraordinary and beautiful performance awaited us at the Mayflower as this fabulous company told their classic tale.

The story of Coppélia was created in Paris and first performed at the opera on May 25, 1870.

It is typical of the early 19th century Romantic period when there was a widespread fascination for automata of all sorts.

Its source was a macabre story called The Sandman by Ernest Theodore Amadeus Hoffmann, best known today for its inclusion in the 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann.

Act I opened in the beautifully created and atmospheric stage set of the village square in Galicia. The daughter of burgomaster (James Streeter), Swanilda (Shiori Kase), and her friends (Desiree Ballentyne, Ksenia Ovsyanick, Jung ah Choi and Lauretta Summerscales) danced on the eve of Swanilda’s wedding to Franz (Fernando Bufala).

Swanilda was concerned about her fiance’s apparent preoccupation with what appears to be a beautiful girl sitting silently on Dr Coppelius’ balcony, and begins to question the seriousness of his affections.

The burgomaster reminded the villagers that the following day will be the harvest festival at which his daughter’s wedding will be celebrated.

Seeing that the couple appear to have quarrelled, he produced an ear of corn and told them the old legend says that if the ear of corn rattles, the marriage will take place. The corn, however, remains silent.

Coppélia, the mechanical doll who sits on the balcony – whose spasmodic automated movements were realistically portrayed by Yoko Callegari.

Her creator, the eccentric and slightly sinister toymaker Dr Coppelius (Michael Coleman) was intercepted by a crowd of rowdy youths who ducked his head in the village fountain, causing him to drop his house key. The key was found by Swanilda and her friends, who decided to let themselves into the mysterious house.

Act II opened in the sinister workshop where the girls discovered the many automatons created by Dr Coppelius, and found that the beautiful girl from the balcony was simply a doll.

An irate Dr Coppelius appeared and drove out the intruders apart from Swanilda, who was trapped in an alcove.

Meanwhile, Franz put a ladder up to the outside of the balcony and entered, upon which Dr Coppelius seized him, drugged him, and attempted to transfer his life force into the doll.

Franz revived and he and Swanilda make up their quarrel in time for their wedding.

Vibrant dancers, skilful choreography, colourful costumes and a stage set that had all the magic of a Victorian Christmas card combined to make this a very memorable performance.

Diana Holman