EVERYONE loves the ballet staple Swan Lake.

The fairytale story about a young prince who falls in love with a woman transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer has all the simple charm that appeals to aficionados and uninitiated alike.

Yet, as this production demonstrates, the dividing line between a good and a weak interpretation is wafer-thin.

This Swan Lake is part of a London season starring Irina Kolesnikova, principal dancer of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, who’s also performing in La Bayadere.

St Petersburg Ballet is inferior to the world-class Russian companies Mariinsky-Kirov and the Bolshoi and it sometimes shows.

The costumes and set are so basic, aside from the grandiose ball in scene three, they look like they could be inspired by the original 1877 production.

The chemistry between Denis Rodkin’s wooden prince and Kolesnikova’s diva-ish Odette often falls flat and they only truly shine when they dance alone.

Rodkin launches into stupendous leaps during the ball scene and Kolesnikova produces some super-fast pirouettes as the black swan Odile.

Jester Sergei Fedorkov also catches the eye as he dives through various scenes adding comic value, although given some of the costume choices there are laughs enough.

Evil sorcerer Von Rothbart (Dmitry Akulinin) sports black-feathered garb which makes him look like Eddie Izzard while the crown on Swan Queen Natalia Smirnova’s head looks in danger of crushing her.

The chorus of swans perform like clockwork in their perfect symmetry to the point that the grind of ballet shoes on stage floor resonates more than their steps.

While it’s all graceful enough, making it arguably a good introduction to the ballet, those looking for the best should be advised to wait for another version — the Royal Ballet will be presenting a new production soon.

Runs until August 23, box office: eno.org

Review by Will Stone