The Cellist, Royal Opera House, review: Cathy Marston’s touching ballet about cellist Jacqueline du Pré

The inspiration for Marston’s debut for the Royal Opera House’s main stage is the life and career of the famous cellist whose career was cut short by multiple sclerosis

Lauren Cuthbertson ( L ) and Marcelino Sambé ( R ), who is both instrument and muse as the cello (Bill Cooper)

★★★★☆

Cathy Marston has spent her career pushing at the kinds of stories ballet can tell. The Cellist, her new work for The Royal Ballet, is based on the life of Jacqueline du Pré, from spectacular early talent to the multiple sclerosis that cut short her career. The ballet focuses on her heroine’s relationship with her cello, a dancer as both the instrument and the idea of her life in music.

Marston started her career at the Royal Opera House, but her main stage debut has taken 25 years: women artists tend to be given chances on the smaller scale, rather than a shot at the big time. She returns to The Royal Ballet after getting those chances elsewhere, with her work now danced at San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. It’s also true that Marson has made big strides since those early studio works, becoming bolder and less literal about her storytelling.