I have a vivid memory of the mad scene in Giselle, performed by Phyllis Spira in a soft pastel yellow dress, during a CAPAB tour to Port Elizabeth in 1977 (according to Google research).
Mia Coomber and Gabriel Ravenscroft in Cape Ballet Africa's Giselle. Image by Helena Fagan
I would have been eight years old. It was so dramatic, I’ve never forgotten the anguished look on her face in the emotional climax of Act I, which leads to Giselle becoming a Wili – a spirit of a betrayed bride – in Act II.
I compare every subsequent performance by any ballerina to that moment.
Decades later, I was equally captivated by Cape Ballet Africa’s debut of Giselle at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town on 13 November 2025.
The mad scene unfolds when Giselle discovers that Albrecht, whom she believed to be a villager, is a nobleman already engaged to Bathilde. His betrayal shatters her, triggering a rapid psychological collapse.
She swings between shock and frantic confusion, replaying happier moments in disjointed fragments – such as plucking imaginary petals – as her grip on reality slips.
Her distress deepens until she breaks completely, staggering across the stage before collapsing. She dies of heartbreak, leaving Albrecht devastated. This pivotal scene marks her transformation from innocent girl to ethereal spirit and remains one of ballet’s greatest tests of dramatic artistry.
Image by Helena Fagan
Dancing Maina Gielgud’s choreography to music by Adolphe Adam, recorded by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Ballet Africa delivered a production deserving every accolade.
If anecdotal chatter is correct, this is the first traditional set and costuming “built from scratch” for classical ballet in 30 years. The result is meticulous: textures, fabrics, warm autumnal tones, and atmospheric lighting by Wilhelm Disbergen combine to create a world both romantic and haunting.
Mounting Giselle is a huge undertaking, though its smaller cast requirement worked in the company’s favour.
Under Gielgud’s guidance, the company rose to the occasion. Gielgud, trained by the great Russians – including Tamara Karsavina and Lubov Egorova – brings vast experience, having danced with Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Australian Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, and the London Festival Ballet, and held leadership positions with the Australian Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and Houston Ballet.
Her staging is praised for faithfulness to Romantic-era ideals, theatrical clarity, psychological insight, and subtle stylistic touches that distinguish it from more streamlined modern versions.
Critics and audiences alike note Gielgud’s historical accuracy and her insistence on seamless integration of steps, mime, and acting. She pushes the corps hard, and it shows: uniform leg height, arm styling, and precise eye line give the Wilis an ethereal, otherworldly quality.
Under Disbergen’s lighting, against Mitchell’s mist-shrouded moonlit forest, Act II is spellbinding. More than pretty silhouettes, the Wilis work is technically tough; their arms are kept forward and bodies slightly leaning, creating a ghostly effect.
Image by Helena Fagan
Gielgud also encourages individuality among the principals. Dancers’ acting, mime, and movement meld naturally, creating nuanced, deeply felt characters.
Mia Coomber, making her debut as Giselle, was particularly luminous. Her interpretation was personal and expressive, her technique superb, with consistently light and fluid movement, and long, beautifully arched feet that extend effortlessly en pointe.
Gabriel Ravenscroft, as Albrecht, partnered her showing more intensity than usual but he could still delve deeper into that emotional well. However, his frantic appeal to Leanè Theunissen as Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, in Act II featured his athleticism with virtuosic jumps (entrechats), fast batterie (beaten mid-air legs), and pirouettes, culminating in a collapse that conveyed his guilt, fear, and desperation, only to be redeemed by Giselle’s eternal love.
Even the smaller and fleeting roles impressed.
Enzo Santos’ Albrecht’s squire, Wilfred, and Jan Kotzé as Hilarion, the gamekeeper, contributed charm and clarity without drawing focus from the central drama. The peasant pas de deux, danced by Paige McElligott and Joshua Williams – recipient of this year’s prestigious Prix Benois, an international accolade for outstanding achievement – was a highlight, flowing with charm and precision that left the audience reluctant for it to end.
In all, Cape Ballet Africa’s Giselle is a triumph of artistry, commitment, and vision. The company has balanced technical virtuosity with dramatic depth, historical fidelity with personal interpretation, and individual brilliance with corps de ballet cohesion.
Image by Helena Fagan
Every detail – from Gielgud’s choreography and mentorship to Disbergen’s lighting and the careful design of sets and costumes – works in concert to transport the audience into the Romantic world of the ballet, from the innocence of Act I to the haunting, ethereal beauty of Act II.
This result is also thanks to the ensemble, which delivered authentic, believable, high-quality performances throughout.
Giselle continues at The Pam Golding Theatre at the Baxter in Cape Town until 22 November.
Distinguished guest artist Solomon Osazuva, from the Croatian National Ballet, appears as Albrecht opposite Theunissen’s Giselle while Williams partners McElligott in the lead roles in alternate performances.
Tickets are R200–R495 via Webtickets.
