Northern’s Gentleman Jack – a testament to ballet

Lily Rodney reviews Northern Ballet’s production of Gentleman Jack at Leeds Grand Theatre.

Timothée Chalamet recently sparked outrage by dismissing ballet and opera as art forms that “no one cares about anymore”. He clearly hadn’t checked the box office at Leeds Grand Theatre last Saturday night. A sold-out house gathered to see Northern Ballet’s world premiere of Gentleman Jack and the audience’s enthusiasm told a very different story.

As someone who is no expert in ballet, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I had vaguely heard of Anne Lister’s story and was drawn in by the premise of a lesbian love story set in nineteenth-century Yorkshire, yet, above all I was curious about how it would translate to the stage.

The answer was boldly and unapologetically.

Lister, frequently described as the first modern lesbian, lived and loved entirely on her own terms and it was tremendously exciting to see a ballet built around a queer story, particularly given that the art form has traditionally leaned toward more conventional narratives. 

Gemma Coutts portrayed the iconic Anne Lister with a cheeky, alluring air of superiority – an impression only heightened by her iconic top hat and sharp black overcoat, brought to life by costume designer Louise Flanagan.

The love triangle at the heart of the story – Lister’s consuming passion for Mariana (Saeka Shirali) whose eventual marriage to a man forces her hand, and her subsequent relationship with Ann Walker (Rachael Gillespie) – was rendered with real emotional clarity through the choreography alone. 

And what choreography it was. Annabelle López Ochoa, working alongside dramaturg Clare Croft, dancer-songwriter Jemima Brown, and Sally Wainwright, writer of the acclaimed BBC/HBO television series, has crafted something sensual, harmonious, and funny.

The audience’s laughter at the more playful moments felt spontaneous and warm. Accompanied by a live score composed by Peter Salem, not a single word of dialogue was needed; from tendus and arabesques to the most nuanced facial expressions, every element communicated character and emotion with precision. 

The set design by Christopher Ash was similarly purposeful in its simplicity. Subtle bookcases fitted with screens allowed the audience to place each scene without ever distracting from the dancers themselves.

The story was carried entirely by the performers, and nothing superfluous competed with them. Equally striking was the corps de ballet (the ballet ensemble) appearing in androgynous bodysuits. Their formation spelling out fragments of Lister’s famous coded diary entries was one of the production’s most inventive and memorable touches. 

The inclusion of “teaography”, defined by Jenny Eyres as domestic choreography built around tea paraphernalia, was particularly striking. It brought warmth, humour and a grounded homeliness to the stage, balancing the more passionate and dramatic sequences beautifully. 

Gentleman Jack has been years in the making, and its ambitions are serious. Co-produced with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet and awarded the FEDORA–Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Prize 2025, it also marks the first major commission under Northern Ballet’s artistic director Federico Bonelli. The production is now on its UK tour, taking in Sheffield, Nottingham, London, Norwich, Salford and Bradford. That ambition is felt in every scene. I was truly captivated from start to finish, and left genuinely inspired by the performance and the warm community of the theatre around me. I was so pleasantly surprised to love it as much as I did. 

Words by Lily Rodney.

Gentleman Jack is touring until September. Tickets available at https://northernballet.com/gentleman-jack/on-stage.