Even with a ballet such as La Bayadère, which is exotic hokum with bells on, the right cast can transform the lightly spiced romp into poetic truth. The Bolshoi were very nearly there last night, with Maria Alexandrova as the scheming Gamzatti and Svetlana Zakharova as the wronged Nikiya. They both love Solor, a warrior who loves Nikiya and then lusts for the high born, high income Gamzatti.

Zakharova and Alexandrova are well cast - Zakharova the pale mournful temple dancer Nikiya (the "bayadère" of the title), and Alexandrova the predatory, proud Gamzatti. Their rivalry in Act I looked real, as did their stand-off in Act II which positively crackled with feminine malice.

However, it all fell apart with Nikolai Tsiskaridze's Solor. There's no polite way of putting this, but he just wasn't interested in either of them. Instead of a man torn between two women, Tsiskaridze was a self-obsessed preener. And if he doesn't love Nikiya, and lust after Gamzatti, then he can't wrong the first, and the second can't poison her. In other words, there's no plot, no romantic dynamic, no promise, no betrayal, no remorse.

Tsiskaridze was so unlikely that it makes you laugh. Admittedly, his dancing was pretty good, but that's what the Bolshoi do. What would make the difference is a convincing leading man, plus better coaching for the guesting child dancers who looked over-stretched and under-rehearsed.

However, neither this nor the faded designs could dis-tract from one of the most famous scenes in ballet. The so-called "Kingdom of the Shades" is where 32 identical ghosts emerge from the Himalayan night.

They're the souls of betrayed maidens, in the wedding dresses that they never wore, and their slow, synchronised arabesques are a lament - and an endless feminine reproach.

The Bolshoi dance this to perfection, and it was almost enough.

• La Bayadère until 4 August. The Bolshoi season ends on 18 August. Information: 0870 145 0200, www.eno.org/bolshoi.