Running since 1995, Swan Lake is perhaps Matthew Bourne’s most controversial work. Although almost 20 years later, replacing the traditionally female swans with male swans doesn’t seem quite so controversial. Matthew Bourne is famous for his innovative, progressive and modern interpretations of classic ballet, and Swan Lake is no different. Much like Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsky’s score is magnificent, it blends with the rich use of set and costume perfectly and quite surprisingly works with a more modern retelling of the story. I only found out after I saw it that there was no live orchestra in the Grand Opera House tonight, but I can honestly say that I didn’t notice the difference, the sound is absolutely perfect, something which is really important when there is no dialogue to convey what’s happening.
The set is all jaunty angles and looks a lot like a gothic fairytale. Right from the outset we are greeted with a massive, out of proportion bed with a sleeping prince (danced by Simon Williams) on top. He grows weary of his royal duties and falls for ‘the girlfriend’, danced impeccably by Anjali Mehra – this character was one of my favourites, she’s a bit ditzy and Mehra dances it with so much personality that it’s hard not to like her. After a trip to the ballet (where we watch a sort of ballet within a ballet – or ballet-ception as I like to call it) it’s clear that the girlfriend isn’t really marriage material. The prince then goes a bit off the rails, getting kicked out of a nightclub, where we take a break from traditional ballet and see some more modern jazz dancing in the club. After this, the prince contemplates suicide by jumping in a lake at the local park, but is saved by a raucous group of male swans. The swans are muscular, strong and menacing, almost nasty and you can’t help but think back to those stories you used to hear about swans being able to break your arm if you went too close. The costumes are superb as always, the swans are naked from the waist up, with a sort of swan-leg pair of trousers which work perfectly as the body of the swans. From their muscles and sheer dominant presence, it’s clear to see why Bourne thought that male swans were the obvious choice for these mysterious, and graceful creatures.
As the ballet continues, the prince falls for the main swan, Odette, danced by Jonathon Ollivier (who also plays Odile). It is in this scene where we see some very innovative dancing from the swans with their massive wing span and bird like head jerks. For those who don’t know, I won’t spoil the ending for you, but it’s safe to say that this is a definite twist on a classic tale. The prince’s relationship with a male swan is no longer all that strange for the audience and the dancing captures their attention undividedly. The choreography is witty, funny and gets a fair few laughs from the audience – a reaction that is usually hard to garner from dance alone.
Swan Lake is running until 5th April.
You can buy tickets here.
