Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - Photo by Johan Persson
This was the first time I had seen Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and in all honesty I didn’t know what to expect, apart from the corps de ballet being made up of male dancers.
Now in its 30th year, this production has been a worldwide phenomenon is a contemporary ballet but keeping Tchaikovsy’s classical musical score.
It differs from the traditional ballet.
Instead of the young prince Siegfried falling in love with a swan maiden, Odette, who has been cursed by the sorcerer von Rothbart resulting in her to be a swan by day and regaining her human form at night by a lake, Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’ features a young prince who falls in love with a male swan.
The male swan represents the freedom that the young prince craves, away from the constant royal duties he attends with his unmaternal mother, the Queen, elegantly yet coldly performed by the beautiful Nicole Kabera.
In the opening scene of the ballet, the prince, emotionally played by James Lovell, dreams of the swan and he encounters the same swan late at night after leaving a seedy nightclub gliding on a lake at a public park.
This vision saves the prince’s life as he was on the verge of committing suicide by throwing himself into the water.
Fourteen other male swans appear and dance with great power and intensity.
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - Photo by Johan Persson
Bourne really highlights swan like characterisation in his choreography - an arm bent at the elbow over the dancers’ heads, arms stretched behind them to represent wings, to name a couple.
We also get a sense of how aggressive these creatures can be by the stamping of feet and hissing.
A stand out moment for me was the letter ‘V’ formation that the male dancers create on the stage immediately reminding me of swans in flight.
The set representing the park is incredibly beautiful.
I noticed that the sets throughout, designed by Lez Brotherston, who also designed the gorgeous costumes, are fairly scarce, with one or maybe two large objects depicting the scene.
The prince’s bedroom is dominated by a huge double bed and headboard, the palace has two huge torches hanging from the back wall and a few small round tables and the park is represented by a black lake with white ripples on the water.
There is a full moon and white branches meet above the stage, perhaps representing the meeting of the prince and the swan.
Flushed with love, the prince rips up the suicide note and leaves the lake jubilant and Act 2 ends on a happy note.
Events turn dark, though in Acts 3 and 4.
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - Photo by Johan Persson
A stranger dressed in black leather trousers and long black coat, appears to gate crash a dance at the palace.
He creates a stir as the women are drawn to his masculinity and he flirts and dances with them all, infuriating their male partners.
Believing that the Stranger is his beloved white swan the prince is furious when he dances lewdly with the Queen.
The two men dance an Argentine tango but the Stranger tells the Prince he doesn’t recognise him.
Rebuffed by the stranger, the prince’s mental health deteriorates and his mother and Private Secretary admit him to an asylum.
The final Act is heartbreaking.
The prince dreams of the swans crawling from under the bed and entering from different sides of his room. The ensemble’s agility is extraordinary as they jump with precision onto the bed.
The moment when they leave and the prince’s swan appears is almost reminiscent of a moment in a well known horror film, but I won’t give away any clues and will leave that for you to see!
The swans appear again but they attack the prince and then dismember the Swan.
Even though this is done by mime and no blood is evident, apart from some scratches when the swan first appears, it is disturbing to watch the dancers opening their mouths wide, almost vampire-esque as they bite the swan and turn towards the audience, mouths still open and chests puffed out.
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - Photo by Johan Persson
It is a brilliant production and one I will never forget and there are so many fabulous moments throughout.
The ballet, watched by the Queen, Private Secretary, the prince and his Unsuitable Girlfriend, played brilliantly with real sass and loveability by Bryony Wood is full of comedy as we watch her constantly annoying the Queen with her inappropriate behaviour - I panicked when a mobile phone rang and realised it was the girlfriend’s and meant to happen!.
The bird theme also filters through during the scene at The SWANK nightclub where the dancers are dressed in 1960’s outfit and the ladies don short Mary Quant hairstyles, but some of the dance moves reminded me of bird characteristics, particularly their heads moving backwards and forwards and their hands bent to look like the head of a bird.
The themes of love, jealousy, death, anger and mental illness are all prevalent but there are also sprinkles of humour scattered throughout. The audience gave a well deserved standing ovation and clapped, cheered and whistled for ages showing the New Adventures Company their absolute admiration for these talented young dancers.
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