Rupert Christiansen

‘La Scala was maddening’: an interview with John Macfarlane, the finest set designer of his generation

He discusses his work with Liam Scarlett, the problem with Messel’s Sleeping Beauty and walking away from La Scala

The corps of the Royal Ballet in Swan Lake, designed by John Macfarlane [Nigel Norrington / ArenaPAL] 
issue 07 December 2024

Pantomime season is upon us, and unless your taste in colour runs no further than Smarties, there is no more magnificent spectacle on offer than Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker – performed so many hundred times since its première in 1990 that two years ago it disintegrated and required reconstruction.

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