Director & Choreographer: Matthew Bourne
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Designer: Lez Brotherston
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake first burst to life on stage in 1995, changing the face of classical dance forever. This modern classic has been breaking records in the thirty years since.
Retaining, but re-ordering Tchaikovsky’s original 1875/1876 score, this innovative re-telling of the story hangs on it perfectly. The music is fundamentally beautiful whichever order it is played and perfectly fits whatever era this ballet is set in.
This imaginative take injects a vitality, freshness and relevance to the story along with his trademark wit. In Bourne’s hands this fantastical story takes on a much more ‘human’ form. Instead of the Odette/Odile/Siegfried triangle it is now the tale of a melancholic, maternally rejected prince longing desperately for liberty and love. A prince whose emotional demise we track through the course of this exquisitely conceived and delivered production. It is a dark, and at times sinister tale of repression and sexual fantasy, punctuated throughout with clever humour.
This Swan Lake is also, of course, that show with the gender swapped swans: instead of the prettily prancing pens, it’s a herd of predatory and powerful cobs sizzling with electricity and no small dose of menace. In ridding the story of its expected gender roles it has much more power. The atmosphere is tangible, you can feel the anticipation grow as we edge closer to the arrival of the swans. Explosive, exhilarating and electrifying, they do not disappoint. At first shadowy fragments at the edge of the Prince’s consciousness, they burst full of life, centre stage to end act one. Their movements hypnotic, almost tribal.
That said, the stage bristles with life from curtain up. The striking sequences of movement are finely detailed, mesmerising, dangerously sexual and utterly spine-tingling throughout. It is impossible not to be captivated. Leonardo McCorkindale’s Prince is beautifully danced and emotionally poignant and Jackson Fisch has a formidable presence: savage, swaggering and sexual, ensuring and memorable performance as the Swan/Stranger. The precision and commitment of the entire company is fully on show. This is a truly cohesive company, each working together to deliver perfection to its audience.
Enhanced by the fiercely imaginative, monumental stage design by Lez Brotherston, the production remains superbly atmospheric and brilliantly inventive three decades on. The action moving swiftly from palace to opera house to sleazy bar to ballroom with ease. There are visual gags and artistic treats throughout.
Thirty years on, Swan Lake remains as utterly perfect as it ever was, you cannot fail to appreciate the visual spectacle and the sheer originality of storytelling and staging. It is moving and exhilarating in equal measure. A treat for the soul. Unmissable.
Runs until 7 June 2025 | Image: Johan Persson
The Reviews Hub Score
Perfection
