A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.
Official photography by Johan Persson perssonphotography.com
Matthew Bourne is well known to take a different twist on ballet dancing, and the stories that he interprets through his choreography. He often takes a darker stance than usual, and you do wonder what goes on in his head sometimes! However the results are always outstandingly beautiful and a delight to watch. Swan Lake is no different, in his version our swans are male dancers, and there are a lot of them, 15 in total. It is a wonder to behold, the sheer physique and movement of these gentlemen acting as graceful and majestic swans.
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The main character is a Prince, desperate for affection from a mother who cannot provide it as she goes about her Queenly duties. James Lovell performed the role of the Prince, with Katrina Lyndon as the Queen. Desperate to please her, he accompanies her on their royal visits and is polite towards the civilians they meet. One pretty girl, danced by Bryony Wood, catches his attention and leads to an hilarious scene when they go to the ballet, along with the Queen and her current man of choice. It is a very unusual set when you are watching a ballet within a ballet! The Royal Box was included on one side of our stage so we could watch the ballet and the reactions of its audience. The Prince’s girlfriend has obviously never encountered the etiquette of watching a ballet before and reacts loudly to anything happening on stage which is so funny, whilst the beautiful ballet about butterflies is rather distractingly gorgeous itself!
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The Prince eventually finds himself at a side of a lake writing a suicide note, but when he tries to run into the lake he meets the swans. Seeing their beauty and getting caught up in their movements, he is distracted from his original plan. I absolutely loved this scene and the different characters of the swans coming through as they dance, it was sublime and breathtaking. Rory Macleod was the main swan who the Prince was drawn to and the raw emotions whenever they danced together was captivating.
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The deafening applause, and woops and grins from the audience at the end was a testament to the amazingness of this production. The stage, the costumes, the swan silhouettes, the quirky funny moments throughout quite a dark storyline, but above all this, the sheer glory of the dancers. There is no choreographer like Matthew Bourne and his dancers are all trained to such a high standard. If you ever get the chance to experience one of his shows, please do not deny yourself the pleasure. In the programme is an advert for next year’s ballet, called The Red Shoes, and I am already holding my breath to see it!
Further information: https://www.new-adventures.net/behind-the-scenes/swan-lake
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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.
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