Like Water for Chocolate review: The Royal Ballet’s dramatic saga weaves familial jealousy into stylish narrative

Glowing stage pictures are full of atmosphere, while a charismatic cast bring warmth to this ambitious work

Anna Rose O’Sullivan as Gertrudis (Tristram Kenton)

Love, food, repression, revolution. Based on Laura Esquivel’s novel, The Royal Ballet’s new Like Water for Chocolate is a densely-plotted family saga. Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon weaves multiple generations and jealousies into a swift and stylish narrative, though he takes longer to reach the emotional heart of his story.

Wheeldon’s superb 2014 The Winter’s Tale showed his gift for complex stories. Like Water for Chocolate reunites the same creative team. Joby Talbot’s new score is swirling and fast-paced, helping to drive the galloping plot. Working with conductor and music consultant Alondra de la Parra, he nods to Mexican traditions, without falling into impersonation. Similarly, Bob Crowley’s airy designs evoke Mexican lace and cut paper, gorgeously lit by Natasha Katz.

As the youngest daughter, the heroine Tita isn’t permitted to marry. Staying at home to look after Mama Elena, her controlling mother, she pours her feelings into her cooking. Wheeldon finds visual motifs for both food and emotion. Cloth is stretched and kneaded like dough, a skill passed down the generations. Engaged couples are bound together with ribbon, in an image that is both pretty and oppressive. There’s a sense of freedom when the final couple are allowed to join hands without being bound.