Matthew Bourne has longed to bring his iconic interpretation of Swan Lake to Liverpool for many years – he was just waiting to be asked.
And last night he was thrilled that his male swans and the rest of the cast received a standing ovation at what was the official launch of Liverpool’s year-long Leap dance festival, at the Empire theatre.
Since its initial presentation in 1995 at Sadler’s Wells, this moving piece of theatre, newly revived, has evolved and wowed audiences around the world, collecting over 30 international theatre awards including three Tony’s.
Departing from the traditional ballet of tutus and pointe shoes, Bourne’s swans are menacing and animalistic. And at times they are funny, particularly in the dance of the cygnets, known by balletomanes the world over, but with this choreography there is whimsy and humour.
The swans are bare-chested and bare-footed with just an award-winning costume of white feathered culottes, a black mark on their foreheads, and the sweat on their backs - adding to an earthy male mix of menace and danger.
Briefly the story tells of a young prince whose every move is dictated by his mother the Queen and every whim seen to by servants. When a young girl (Madelaine Brennan), hoping to be his girlfriend, saucily flirts with him, she is soon dissuaded by the private secretary (Steve Kirkham). Brennan is a delight as the gauche young thing, a modern miss in a bright pink puffball dress, who tries to woo the prince. At an official visit to a cleverly presented ‘ballet’ front stage, she is in hysterics at the dancers, making a show of herself in front of the Queen. A modern twist sees her mobile phone ringing during the ‘performance’ – and her having the gall the answer it.
The inhibited prince, superbly danced and acted by Sam Archer, is later seduced in a glade by The Swan, Richard Winsor, whose strength and agility are beautifully disturbing. The two dance together, the prince attracted and repelled by this creature in equal measure, but ends up curled in his arms in a graceful embrace.
Later in a ball scene The Swan appears in black leather trousers as ‘the stranger’ openly seducing all the women, including the Queen, and the aspiring girlfriend. The semi opaque black costumes of the girls are in stark contrast to the Queen’s bright red cocktail gown. These, with the sensuous choreography, give this and many scenes an erotic edge – keeping the audience transfixed at what might happen next.
The final scene, following the accidental shooting of ‘the girlfriend’ by the now jealous and deranged prince, is ethereal, with the ensemble swans emerging from under his bed and magically through his pillows.
The violence of their actions in killing The Swan and attacking the prince himself is so monstrous it’s mesmerising. As Bourne said after the show, they observed real swans before they choreographed the dancing – and this is reflected in the veracity of the performance.
If there’s any criticism, and it’s nit picking, some scenes, especially the ball, could have been a tad shorter.
There is much humour in this ballet and that is purposeful. Bourne hopes that by adding comedy he will be attracting new people to theatrical dance, a term he prefers to ‘ballet’. However, there is a strong ballet influence in this production. Bourne himself trained in dance theatre and choreography and many of his dancers are classically trained.
He said before the show that many young men were attracted to dance after seeing his version of Swan Lake and some are in the current performance.
So, although the cast boasts 30 per cent women, and they do a grand job as maids, servants and dancers, it is the males who are the great attraction. Their dynamic interpretation of swans, with Bourne’s innovative choreography, is something that makes you want to return to watch it all over again.
9.5/10 - Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake will run at the Liverpool Empire Feb 22-27th.
Helen Hague, Cheshire around 1 year, 11 months ago