"This show is visually stunning and the dancing is mesmerising" Jenny Rainbird

When you think of the colour red many themes come to mind: love, hate, passion.  All of these are present in the ballet, ‘The Red Shoes’ which is showing at Mayflower Theatre until Saturday 14th of March.

The ballet is based on the 1948 film starring Moira Shearer as dancer, Victoria Page.  It centres on the love story between Victoria and a composer, Julian Craster, played by Leonardo McCorkindale, and the pull between choosing love and being at the top of your chosen art form, in this case being part of the ballet company owned by the impresario, Boris Lermontov.

    Matthew Bournes production of THE RED SHOES. Cordelia Braithwaite Victoria Page. Photo by Johan Persson

Just over one hundred years previously, Hans Christian Anderson, the Danish poet and author, published his fairy tale in 1856 whose main character is a poor girl called Karen who is adopted by an elderly lady.  

The red shoes she chooses for her confirmation service will be her downfall as her adopted mother believes that only black shoes should be worn in church.  

Two encounters, one with an elderly man at the church door and later on an angel holding a sword, set in motion a doomed future for Karen.  Admiring the red shoes, the old man passes his hand over each one saying, “...mind you do not let them slip off when you dance.”  

Some time later, deciding to attend a grand ball rather than her mother’s funeral, the angel condemns her to dance until she looks like a skeleton.

The shoes are now very powerful, as if grown onto Karen’s feet.  With no hope of the curse being lifted she visits an executioner and asks him to chop off her feet. The shoes still do not leave her, dancing in front as she walks with crutches.  

Finally, wanting forgiveness she is taken in by the pastor and she works for free and listens to the Scriptures.  Her small room transforms into a church and feeling at peace and accepting God her soul is flown up to Heaven.

At the beginning of Matthew Bourne’s ballet a dancer appears centre stage and a narrow spotlight is shone on her red ballet shoes setting the heart of the story in motion.  Furthermore, the proscenium arch on the stage moves forward which gave the impression of the audience being drawn into the events about to take place on stage.

After attending one of Boris Lermontov’s ballets, Victoria Page visits him at an elegant soirée hosted by Lady Gaston where some members of the audience are also present.  Victoria dances for him and becomes a member of his company.  

Matthew Bournes production of THE RED SHOES. Reece Causton Sergei Ratov. Photo by Johan Persson

Some time later she is offered the lead role in the ballet, ‘The Red Shoes’, after a principal dancer has an ankle injury.

This ballet is in stark contrast to the other ballets we see snippets off.  Instead of luxurious gold curtains and beautiful costumes there are four, white angular arches, which reminded me of mountains.  

The backdrop is of a Scandinavian scene, with a church steeple featuring in the skyline and other buildings of that part of the world.  The set and the costumes are made up of neutral colours.  The only other colour featuring on stage is red.  

A man dressed smartly in a red and black striped suit entices the dancer with a pair of red ballet shoes.  Accepting them she appears in a white dress enhanced with plush red velvet and wearing the red shoes.  

But the shoes come with a price as she is cursed to dance for as long as she lives.  A light grey sundial is beamed on the back wall and sheets from calendars and Autumn leaves billow across the backdrop to represent how much time has passed.

The young dancer is also torn between her love of dance and her lover, which resembles  Victoria’s real life.  

At the end of the ballet, Victoria is given a bouquet of red roses and her lover, Julian Craster, kisses her which infuriates Boris Lermontov.  The sound of applause becomes louder and the music intensifies symbolising the rage building up in Boris until he storms through the curtains.

Cordelia Braithwaite as Victoria Page was absolutely sensational.  Her dancing was sublime and so graceful. The scene where Victoria and Julian have left Boris’ ballet company and are having an argument in their accommodation was technically brilliant due to the complicated lifts and pulls the dancers executed.

The mood throughout the ballet shifts from dark to light and there were many humorous sections and moments throughout.

Matthew Bourne's production of THE RED SHOES. Callum Mann and Matthew Potulski. Photo by Johan Persson

The beach scene was a joy to watch where the dancers danced with large, colourful beachballs and performed different swimming styles. We then were transported to Monte Carlo and the mood became more sombre.

One of my absolute stand out moments in the ballet was when Boris Lermontov, performed so dashingly and charismatically by Andy Monaghan, and Victoria dance together.  The sweeping melody and the flowing dance moves complemented each other beautifully and I drifted away.  

At other times the music and the action on stage was in complete contrast, particularly when the ballet company are warming up backstage using graceful movements but the music is frenetic.  

This humorous scene sees the creatives and crew putting on the show mingling between the dancers and moving around the stage.  I really enjoyed watching the choreographer, played by Liam Mower, going over a section of the dance with two dancers and his reactions to them.

The costumes are sumptuous and striking and also evoke the glamorous 1940’s era and the lighting really enhances the mood and the different settings.  I was so impressed by the creativity of the set, particularly when the proscenium arch on stage revolves so we are either watching the action from the front or backstage and sometimes both.  

Perhaps the use of the revolving proscenium arch is also symbolic of Victoria’s inner struggle with her emotions being pulled in two different directions - choosing between her lover or devoting her life to Boris’ ballet company.

This show is visually stunning and the dancing is mesmerising, another huge success from Matthew Bourne and ‘New Adventures’. The audience showed their admiration by giving the company a standing ovation and rapturous applause.

Book your seat here: https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/matthew-bournes-the-red-shoes-2026/