A joyous, razor-sharp celebration of classical ballet - as dazzling in skill as it is in humour. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo plays at MK Theatre this week.

When I go to the theatre, if I don’t know the company or the work, I tend not to read up on it beforehand - I rather like the element of surprise. The name Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo gave me a fair clue that dance would be involved… but beyond that, I went in happily unprepared.

The Swans

The evening began with a spoken preamble delivered in a wonderfully heavy Latin accent. Sadly, I couldn’t catch a word of it, though the audience’s bursts of laughter made it quite clear I was missing something rather good.

From the very beginning, it was clear we’d arrived in the world of Swan Lake - apparently the company’s signature work - though it didn’t take long to realise this was a delightfully clever spoof. The dancer on stage was brilliant: engaging, polished, and utterly professional… until, quite suddenly, she ran out of breath, had to stop, and then simply picked things up again as if nothing had happened.

From there, the chaos unfolded beautifully. One swan stepped in something decidedly unglamorous and fussed about trying to clean her shoe, while elsewhere there were outright fisticuffs among the flock. Their movements added layers of comedy - less elegant swans and more like chickens with attitude. At one point, one accidentally kicked another in the face, all set to the utterly recognisable and glorious music of Tchaikovsky.

It was incredibly well done - sharp, inventive, and very funny - yet always rooted in a deep knowledge of, and affection for, the original. A perfectly judged blend of satire, subversion, and slapstick.

My contact lenses were a touch out of focus - but as they finally settled (quite literally into place), I realised, to my absolute delight, that the entire cast was male. I was completely tickled pink.

In my temporary blindness, they had so convincingly embodied their roles - with exquisite pointe work and such precision of movement - that I’d been utterly fooled. The reveal only made it all the more delicious, and I found it endlessly amusing.

Each dancer shifted seamlessly between personas - ballerina and danseur - taking on some of the most iconic and technically demanding roles in the classical repertoire. Even in the midst of parody, the “ballerinas” delivered exquisite elegance and grace; the pirouettes were nothing short of spectacular.

The staging was simple, with bare backdrops - and nothing more was needed. The dancers held your attention completely. In fact, there was almost too much to watch: while the leads commanded the stage, the ensemble had their own delightful moments unfolding, and you found yourself wanting eyes everywhere at once.

The programme also included other works, among them The Dying Swan, after Michel Fokine, set to music by Camille Saint-Saëns. It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that the Trocks’ version of the solo originally created for Anna Pavlova in 1905 has become as iconic in its own right.

All in all, this was a unique and genuinely inspired production - technically brilliant, wonderfully funny, light-hearted, and superbly executed.

Grab yourself a ticket at the MK Theatre Box Office if you can.  There is one more show tonight.