Birmingham audiences have certainly waited for this new Carlos Acosta production of Don Quixote. First announced two years ago, COVID-19 well and truly put the brakes on it but the curtain has finally risen on the show at Birmingham Hippodrome.

And it has certainly been worth the wait as this ballet is a joy. From beginning to end it is bursting with energy, humour, warmth and just a hint of pathos for the great dreamer Don Quixote.

The production is an updated version of BRB director Acosta’s previous Don Quixote which he created for the Royal Ballet nearly ten years ago and it is the perfect vehicle for BRB dancers to show off their talents.

The story centres around the knight Don Quixote who sets off on a quest to discover true love and discovers it in the shape of villagers Basilio and Kitri. But the young lovers are facing disappointment as Kitri’s father is determined she will be married to another - until Don Quixote becomes involved.

Momoko Hirata gives us a feisty Kitri determined to get her own way. She stamps her foot, crosses her arms and tricks her father whenever she can. This woman is not for turning. Her one true love, Basilio, is danced with charm and light-hearted humour by Mathis Dingman. But these roles are not just character, they also demand some very challenging choreography from the couple – not least in the famous pas de deux in the final wedding scene in which both dancers are simply stunning.

Tom Rogers is a whimsical Don Quixote. We laugh as he dons a broken metal bowl as a helmet and jumps upon a barrel for a horse but we also feel his desire to be a great knight, to free damsels in distress and to fight injustice. He is a dreamer who wants to make the world a better place.

There are some strong comedic performances which are delightful including Kit Holder as Don Quixote’s squire Sancho Panza, Rory Mackay as the unlucky suitor Gamache and Valentin Olovyannikov playing Kitri’s father the innkeeper Lorenzo.

And there are plenty of opportunities for individual dancers to shine. Brandon Lawrence excels as the imperious matador Espada. His dancing, whether whisking around the stage with a cloak or romancing the girls, is absolutely perfect in form, every movement is so concentrated. Javier Rojas and Emma Price turn up the heat as a sultry gypsy couple and Yu Kurihara is a mystical Queen of the Dryads, conjured up by a dreaming Don Quixote.

Tim Hatley’s designs and costumes are sumptuous, filling the stage with colour and lashings of Spanish flavour. Peter Mumford’s lighting suffuses the village scenes with the gentle summer glow of an Iberian evening. And Nina Dunn’s video design ingeniously turns the famous windmills into monsters, enabling the audience to see what Don Quixote imagines.

Ludwig Minkus’ score has been re-arranged with some additional composition by Hans Vercauteren and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia ensure the score remains lively throughout the nearly three-hour performance.

This production has been a labour of love for Carlos Acosta. He promised us a Birmingham Don Quixote when he took up his new role in 2020 and has persevered despite all the difficulties to deliver a show which is truly magical.

Five stars

Reviewed by Diane Parkes at Birmigham Hippodrome on Friday 18 March. Birmingham Royal Ballet's Don Quixote continues to show at the theatre until Saturday 26 February