Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Review: all-male ballet parodies centuries-old tradition
- Wiktoria Mordon
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
02 June 2026 I 19:30 I Milton Keynes Theatre (UK Tour)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I PR - Invite
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, now playing at Milton Keynes Theatre as part of its 50th anniversary UK Tour, opens with all your typical notices. Turn off your phones, don't take pictures... and that all of the typically female ballerinas will be replaced by male dancers!
Affectionately known as The Trocks and hailing from New York, this company is best known for their gender-skewering ballet productions that parody world-famous works, from Swan Lane to Paquita. The ensemble embrace the art of drag which, enhanced by Ken Busbin and Jeffrey Sturdivant's costume design, allows the male dancers to embody their female personas with heightened femininity.
The stage is fully stripped back to little more than a projection screen, seen in moments such as Odette's curse, when the sorcerer curses her and lightning strikes above the castle. And despite the empty stage, Isaac Castillo's comedic lighting work more than makes up for this. Particularly upon the The Dying Swan, when the spotlight desperately 'searches' for the dancer and misses completely. Due to the open set, the wing lighting is partially visible which may distract audiences, though has no impact on the show itself.
The Trocks challenge many of the common ballet tropes as tonight, they alternate the prima-ballerina in each act. Audiences are asked to suspend their disbelief, as we truly start to believe that the male dancers are ballerinas. They do this through the utmost precision in choreography and a delicate way of holding themselves. This is so cleverly executed in Act Three, when a swan is transformed into a shirtless fawn, and we become disoriented when reminded that we aren't watching a female dancer.
Something that Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo does flawlessly is its merging of genres. The respected classics are fused with cabaret styles in a way that is subtle - moments of satire may interject into the choreography, and it makes audiences burst with laughter. It often comes from the smallest, most nuanced actions. A slight shoulder shrug, a flexing of the foot, the body is the perfect vehicle for comedy.
Also defying convention is the show's breaking of the fourth wall. A highlight of this sees a member of the crew at Milton Keynes Theatre delivering flowers to one of the Swan's at the end of Act One. Another is when dancer Colette Adae walks in front of the stage curtain after the death of the swan. We applaud, and she revels almost too much in the attention, she can't get enough of it! There are many instances that we believe an Act to be finished, but the company never fail to surprise us with more and more!! Even up until the very end, we are treated to an encore which... makes quite the statement, it must be seen to be believed!
Among sassy ballerinas and impeccable comedic timing, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is a spectacular lampoon of the nation's most beloved ballets. Those unfamiliar with the Trocks may not know what to expect, though its humour is so universal, and it refreshes material which has been steeped in tradition for centuries. Get ready to laugh and laugh until you lose yourself in the dance, and then laugh all over again! Playing at the Milton Keynes Theatre until 3rd June, before continuing its UK Tour:
Full UK Tour Information: https://trockadero.org/
