Stuttgart Ballet’s appearance in Melbourne comes thanks to The Australian Ballet, under whose banner Stuttgart’s Sleeping Beauty is being performed while TAB is on tour to the United States with Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar. It’s a delectable gift.

Marcia Haydée, John Cranko’s indispensable muse during his transformative artistic leadership of Stuttgart in the 1960s and early 1970s, created this production in 1987 when she directed the company. Petipa’s ballet is the framework, complete with the expected dance highlights, but Haydée also puts a hugely personal stamp on the work.

Not everything is entirely plausible even within the latitude allowed by a fairytale but the overall effect is disarming. This is grand classical ballet presented in the traditional manner and yet with a charming degree of modesty, as if it’s an honour to pay tribute to Petipa and the art of ballet.

One setting cleverly alters as the story unfolds. Jürgen Rose’s design of a delicate, sylvan painted backdrop and arched upper gallery has something of a child’s pop-up book flavour and many of his costumes are muted in tone (although the fairies, who have adorable caps with slender sparkly antennae, and the handsome foreign princes are gorgeously attired).

Stuttgart’s Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty, Regent Theatre, Melbourne. Photo © Kate Longley

The look establishes Haydée’s generous mood for the piece. Nature, love and harmony are her guiding principles. A much expanded role for the disruptive fairy Carabosse puts the forces of darkness in constant opposition with those of good, in the form of the Lilac Fairy. The scales tip this way and that, just as in life.

The most enchanting aspect of the staging is how Haydée introduces a natural sense of community into this highly artificial world. There are so many small moments to cherish. The four princes vying for Aurora’s hand jockey – courteously! – for position and graciously reappear in the wedding scene each had hoped to feature in. That’s good manners for you.

As Aurora makes her entrance you can see her in the background waving excitedly to her friends and in one of the few moments of respite in the Rose Adagio she dashes over to those friends for a quick confab. One almost expected a little shriek of excitement.

Stuttgart’s Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty, Regent Theatre, Melbourne. Photo © Kate Longley

Elisa Badenes was an enchanting Aurora on opening night, light and joy radiating from her as if she were floating on air. Those fearsome Rose Adagio balances got a rushed job but never mind. The audience absolutely adored her. Abigail Willson-Heisel’s Lilac Fairy, who matched Badenes in the glow of her port de bras, was the epitome of fragrant grace as again and again she magically repelled Jason Reilly’s ultra-forceful Carabosse. Haydée conceived of this as a role for a man and gave the character a full suite of bravura moves but nevertheless presents Carabosse as being outside gender; a shapeshifter with malevolent intent.

The first-cast Prince Desiré, Henrik Erikson, made less of an impact. He’s a lovely classicist and secure partner who nevertheless didn’t impose himself strongly on the drama.

Haydée gives a lot more stage time to the men. It was good to see, although Erikson looked pressed by the end. The choice also led to some disconnects between choreography and music usually danced by women. This was very much the case in Act III when Ali Baba surprisingly popped up among the plethora of storybook characters. Mind you, no one was complaining on opening night when Brazilian principal artist Adhonay Soares, looking as if he were in Le Corsaire, took to the stratosphere. His blurringly fast tours en l’air were astonishing.

Underpinning it all, Stuttgart Ballet’s music director, Wolfgang Heinz conducted Orchestra Victoria in a plush reading of Tchaikovsky’s magical score. It was greatly satisfying to see the musicality of the Stuttgart dancers, particularly Badenes and Willson-Heisel, given room to breathe and flourish.

There are four lead casts during the season, including Willson-Heisel as Aurora. Take a look on the TAB website for dates.

The Sleeping Beauty is at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, until October 18.