Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

The dark fairy Carabosse (Adam Maskell) enters the room of baby Princess Aurora to cast a curse upon her. The king and queen had desperately wanted a child and had sought Carabosse's help, but didn't show gratitude later. The dark fairy takes her revenge, leaving a blackened rose on Aurora's bassinet as an ominous symbol. An excerpt from Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, airing April 25 at 9 pm.

Matthew Bourne choreographs Tchaikovsky's Rose Adagio as a playful, romantic duet between Princess Aurora (Hannah Vassallo) and the gardener Leo (Dominic North). An excerpt from Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, airing on Great Performances on April 25 at 9 pm.

Princess Aurora's 100-year slumber becomes restless as it nears the end of its spell. The ensemble sequence features Hannah Vassallo as Aurora and Dominic North as the modern-day Leo. An excerpt from Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, airing on Great Performances on April 25 at 9 PM.

Princess Aurora's 100-year slumber becomes restless as it nears the end of its spell. The ensemble sequence features Hannah Vassallo as Aurora and Dominic North as the modern-day Leo, who has waited for the curse to end for 100 years. An excerpt from Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, airing April 25 at 9 pm on PBS.

Dance history and storytelling is important to choreographer Matthew Bourne, creator of a "Swan Lake" with an all-male corp of Swans, and an "Edward Scissorhands" ballet, among other productions. Even in his re-interpretation of "Sleeping Beauty," he remains "reverential" about the original, he says in this interview. "Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty" airs on Great Performances, April 25 at 9 pm.

Leo's kiss of true love breaks the curse that has held Princess Aurora (Hannah Vassallo) under its spell. After 100 years of sleep, Aurora discovers Leo (Dominic North) has been transformed in order to have eternal life and reunite with her. Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty airs on Great Performances, Friday, April 25 at 9 pm on PBS.