Ballet Shoes - National Theatre - Review

First published in 1936, the children’s novel ‘Ballet Shoes’ has enjoyed two screen adaptations, but it wasn’t until 2024 that the classic tale of found family, childhood, performance and dreams made its way to the stage, calling the National Theatre home for a highly successful run. So successful in fact that it returned for another run over the festive period in the Olivier auditorium, much to the delight of theatre goers as this production charms all and raises smiles from even the coldest of hearts.

‘Ballet Shoes’ tells the story of Pauline (Nina Cassells), Petrova (Sienna Arif-Knights) and Posy (Scarlett Monahan) Fossil, sisters not by blood but by fate and the kind if not perhaps misguided heart of Great Uncle Matthew AKA Gum, played by Justin Salinger. An explorer, palaeontologist and dreamer, Gum finds himself the guardian of his great niece Slyvia (Anoushka Lucas) but leaves her in the care of Nana (Lesley Nicol) and whilst on his adventures returns three lost babies to his run down and fossil filled London home. As the girls grow and Gum fails to return from his travels, his money dwindles and Slyvia is forced to bring three lodgers into the home, Dr Jakes (Pandora Colin), Theo Dane (Nadine Higgin) and Jai Suran (Raj Bajaj) who each play a role in the girls upbringing. When the girls need a new school, Theo leads them to a children’s performing arts academy, where natural dancer Posy is taken under the wing of an acclaimed former ballerina, Pauline finds a passion for acting and Petrova sets her sights on flight, but soon performing becomes more than hobby, it becomes survival.

The three Fossils, each unique and driven by their own dreams, are tied in an unbreakable bond. No one knows their past, and it’s up to them to write their future. Cassells, Arif-Knights and Monahan create three beautifully developed characters; the passionate Pauline, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders as the eldest, she knows the importance of work, the dreamer Petrova, more car magazines then dance dresses, drawn to the warm hearted Jai, and even more so to his motor car, and the youngest, sweet Posy, obsessed with the ballet shoes she was found with as a baby and more determined to dance than anything else, even when there are bigger things to be worried about. As an audience member, these three talented performers draw you instantly into their stories, and you follow along with a smile and a leap of joy in your heart as you will them on the greatest of successes. Both Cassells and Arif-Knights show a natural sense of comedic timing, with some wickedly clever one liners that always hit the mark whilst Monahan’s dance skills are breathtaking.

Anoushka Lucas plays Slyvia, from the wide-eyed innocence of an eleven-year-old fascinated by her great uncle’s display of fossils to the adult burdened by the weight of running a large and falling apart home, raising the three girls and keeping her lodgers happy. You can’t help but love this character, with Lucas making her both funny and heartfelt and her partnership with Raj Bajaj’s Jai is simply charming. Lesley Nichol’s Nana has her hands full, but with the kindest and most open of hearts, she would do absolutely anything to ensure the happiness of Pauline, Petrova, Posy and, of course, Slyvia.

Gum, played by Justin Salinger, is eccentric and wonderfully funny, full of life and joy, calling even large disasters of his travel’s mere inconveniences. He wants what is best for the family he has created, but adventure calls and that is where his heart belongs. Salinger doubles up here, becoming Madame Fidolia, Posy’s strict ballet teacher, to the joy of the audience has creates a comical but wonderfully deep character, someone with a story to tell for herself, hidden away behind showbiz and sad eyes.

Despite being set in the 1930’s, ‘Ballet Shoes’ is unafraid to explore big topics that could have been seen as controversial at the time. Pandora Colin’s Dr Jakes’ past relationships are openly discussed without any sense of shame or secrecy, and Nadine Higgin’s dancer Theo Dane being seen as powerful and inspiring with her childhood of performing and training children to do the same, along with the mixed histories of the three girls themselves. There is something wonderfully refreshing about that, with the story as a whole having a feeling of acceptance and just being yourself, no matter what.

The ensemble play a multitude of roles, from fellow dancers at the children’s academy and performers, bringing the most simple of props alive to create stormy seas, landslides, runaway cars and even Alice’s wonderland. Luke Cinque-White becomes a standout in these ensemble moments, earning giggles as an Alice auditionee and delighting audience members alongside his fellow dancers as they lead a ballet warm up in a wonderful preshow.

The sets, by Frankie Bradshaw, are enchanting, creating the fossil laden world of Gum that surrounds the family and transporting the audience through dances, air fields and even a futuristic take on a Shakespeare classic.

To conclude, ‘Ballet Shoes’ is utterly charming, heartwarming and an all together delicious treat of a show that lifts the spirits with its messages of dreams, love, acceptance and the wonder of choosing your own families and futures. It is really no surprise that it has proven so popular, and I hope greatly that the National Theatre is already planning a return for the 2026 festive season, if a transfer to the West End isn’t already on the cards, following in the footsteps of the National’s production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.