There is a particular kind of alchemy that happens when a children’s classic is reimagined with sincerity, intelligence, and an instinctive understanding of its emotional core. The National Theatre’s revival of Ballet Shoes, adapted for the stage by Kendall Feaver and directed with buoyant verve by Katy Rudd, manages precisely that. Returning after its highly acclaimed run last year — praised for its warmth, inventive staging, and emotional acuity — this 2025 production, refreshed with a new cast of Fossil sisters, feels both reassuringly familiar and newly invigorated. It is a glittering celebration of ambition, artistry, and chosen family, and it positively glows with heart.
The new trio of Fossil sisters is beautifully cast. Nina Cassells gives a poised, clear-eyed performance as Pauline, charting the character’s journey from spirited ingénue to thoughtful young actress with persuasive emotional shading. Sienna Arif-Knights brings a wonderfully modern restlessness to Petrova, her yearning for engines and open skies adding thrilling texture against the production’s balletic sweep. Scarlett Monahan’s Posy is danced with an earnest radiance that never tips into preciousness, her performance marked by musicality, precision, and an unshakeable sense of destiny.
The supporting company creates a richly detailed world around the sisters. Pandora Colin brings warmth and wry humour to Doctor Jakes, while Lesley Nicol is grounded and tender as Nana, shaping the household’s emotional centre with quiet authority. Justin Salinger, astonishingly versatile, slips between an array of roles — Great Uncle Matthew, Madame Fidolia, Mr French, Mr Sholsky, and Madame Manoff — each rendered with crisp definition and a welcome touch of theatrical playfulness.
Frankie Bradshaw’s set design remains one of the production’s most enchanting achievements. The ramshackle Cromwell Road home is conceived as a cabinet of curiosities, complete with glass-boxed fossils, teetering staircases, and layered living spaces that breathe with possibility. Ellen Kane’s choreography, lyrical yet unforced, becomes the emotional circuitry of the piece, illuminating the girls’ hopes and anxieties long before they can articulate them. Rudd’s direction is exuberant without being overstated; transitions glide with cinematic ease, and moments of spectacle — including the appearance of an open-top vintage car — never overshadow the emotional subtleties beneath.
What elevates this revival is its emotional generosity. The themes that have endeared Ballet Shoes to generations — ambition, sisterhood, and the dizzying business of growing up — are newly illuminated by a cast whose youthful conviction feels utterly authentic. In an era marked by uncertainty, the Fossil sisters’ determination to shape their own futures feels not merely nostalgic but quietly radical. The production becomes, in its gentle way, a reminder of the transformative power of art, imagination, and perseverance.
Tender, whimsical, and quietly wise, Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre is a triumph: a revival that honours the charm of its source material while offering young audiences a resonant message about resilience and self-belief. This luminous production is not merely delightful; it feels essential.
Ballet Shoes until 21 February 2026
National Theatre
Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX
