Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake theatre review: This is a truly fantastic production, which can now claim to be a modern classic ballet.
Credit: Johan Persson
Matthew Bourne’s interpretation of Swan Lake has been running for 23 years, and this latest staging remains largely unchanged. It still has the ability to move audiences with its power, a stark contrast with the traditional version with Margaret Fontaine and Rudolph Nuryev.
Swan Lake is gripping, powerful and beautiful in equal measure. The opening of the ballet begins with the bold but soft silhouette of a white swan flying through a ethereal sky as Tchaikovsky’s music soars into the auditorium. The curtain pulls back to reveal an oversized bed which towers over the prince (played by Dominic North) as he sleeps. The prince appears to be dreaming of swans as one is seen above the royal bed echoing the movement of the swans in the cinematography at the start of the production.
The story is of a modern royal family, where the prince is being prepared for his future by the Queen (Nicole Kabera). He is aided by an army of courtiers who ensure that he is presentable, and the private secretary (Glenn Graham) ensures that the prince is where he is required to be; by his mothers side to open galleries and attend regal functions
The ballet is one of contrasts as this giant bed becomes a palace balcony and the dancers outfits are all shades and textures of black and white as is the scenery as it transforms from grey castle walls, to a moonlit park, to the palace and also a seedy club. The girlfriend (Katrina Lyndon) of the prince is also in contrast to the rest of the cast as she appears in a short bright pink dress. The girlfriend is a comical addition to the ballet, with her pouting and posturing, and is superbly crass during the royal family’s’ visit to a ‘ballet within a ballet’. The prince at first chases after her, but his affections are transferred to a swan who reappears to him during a drunken night out where he ends up on a park bench and encounters the swan (Will Bozier).
The pressure to conform takes its toll and the prince becomes more infatuated with his vision of a male swan. Perhaps the swan is just a figment of his imagination, but it becomes real when the black swan appears in human form at the Ball after the interval. The prince is taken aback by the black swans ability to draw women’s affections, but equally conflicted when the black swans attention turns towards his mother. The story twists and turns towards a climatic finale, when the prince’s passion overcomes him.
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This ballet has great entertainment value, with comedic touches in the characterisation of the roles of the lead characters as well as the Corgi which drew a big chuckle from the crowd. The initial scenes move quickly with the characters being introduced with rapid snapshots, and the movement being more quirky. More time is given to the pivotal scenes where the prince falls for the swan, which are powerful, bold and fluid in motion as the male ballet dancers portray the movement of the swans.
The ballet is full of contrasts, delicacy and tenderness of the initial scenes are directly dissimilar to the final scenes which are raw, emotionally charged and possibly a touch brutal as the swans and the prince’s realities combine.
This is an bold and exciting ballet to watch and one that is thoroughly recommended to be seen, and one that turns Swan Lake into a modern classic.
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is touring the country until January 2020. More details of the tour can be found here.
