Mayara Magri and Leo Dixon debut at Royal Opera House in La Fille mal gardée

Mayara Magri and Leo Dixon debuted in La Fille mal gardée at the royal opera house in London on June 5, 2026. Magri took on Lise, while Dixon made his role debut as Colas in The Royal Ballet’s production.

June 5 at Royal Ballet & Opera

That casting put two fresh names into one of Sir Frederick Ashton’s most familiar ballets, a work built around “two love stories” and village life. The production also used Osbert Lancaster’s colourful designs, which kept the focus on the English countryside rather than novelty.

Thomas Whitehead appeared as Widow Simone, and James Hay played Alain in a sympathetic light. The combination gave the performance a clear internal balance: the debuts sat inside an established production, not a stripped-back reset.

Live animals retired

Royal Ballet and Opera has decided to retire the use of live animals from all future productions. In this staging, the new wooden pony was described as disappointing, and it was pushed around on a wooden platform instead of bringing the live-animal element the work once used.

Oscar and Peregrine were singled out as cute and full of the “ahhh” factor, which makes the shift more than a cosmetic change. The company is now moving away from a device that had been part of the production’s appeal, and the replacement has already changed how the scene lands on stage.

Lanchbery and the closing note

The review ends with John Lanchbery’s cheer, a neat reminder that this ballet still lives or dies on timing, tone and musical lift rather than stage gimmicks. For audiences, the practical takeaway is simple: the debuts are in place, the production remains recognizable, and future runs will not bring back the live animals.