THEGAYUK

Tag: Matthew Bourne

All the latest breaking news on Matthew Bourne. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Matthew Bourne.

  • Theatre Review | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Sheffield Theatres

    Theatre Review | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Sheffield Theatres

    ★★★★★ | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

    Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake beautifully reimagines the traditional and well- loved ballet. Bringing the story into modern, regal times, it tells the story of The Prince who struggles with the repression of his life, but this changes when he meets The Swan, a powerful yet tender figure who offers comfort, solace and the belonging that The Prince longs for.  But as The Prince struggles with his relationship with his icy mother, things start to unravel as a familiar looking stranger attends the Royal Ball.

    Bourne’s signature contemporary twist on the classic ballet is simply outstanding and leads to a beautiful, moving and breath-taking piece of theatre. This version is perhaps best known for using an all-male ensemble for the bevy of swans, but whilst there is no denying the spectacular and dramatic impact of that, there are so many other elements which elevate this piece of dance to the dizzying heights it reaches. From the almost monochrome opening scenes in the palatial bedchamber to the vibrant explosion of colour in the Swank Bar, the modern twists provided by Bourne culminate in a fresh and vivacious production which constantly surprises and delights in equal measures

    Utilising his flawless cast, Bourne’s choreography flows back and forth from the frenetic to the tender and from the comedic to the dramatic; infusing many different styles of dance seamlessly with the traditional Tchaikovsky score. Whilst the replacing of the female swans with a male ensemble brings with it a sensual homoeroticism to the piece, it also provides for a beautifully told love story between two men, something seldom seen in dance theatre.

    Both Will Bozier as The Swan and Dominic North as The Prince simply excelled in their lead performances, with Bozier’s strength and fierceness being beautifully counterbalanced by North’s vulnerability and yearning.  Equally Katrina Lyndon was utterly delightful as The Girlfriend, but it seems slightly unfair to single out any dancer from an ensemble who universally oozed such talent and charisma.

    From the opening scenes to the terrifying and tearful finale, this show has everything to recommend it including humour, style, spectacle, originality and genuine emotion; and as the curtain fell, I could have happily had them reset the stage and start again. As a piece of theatre, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is simply sublime.

    Swan Lake is rounding off its national tour at Sheffield Theatres, so don’t miss your last chance to see this magnificent production. Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures are also currently touring his new ballet, Romeo and Juliet, and his award winning The Red Shoes will be returning for another UK tour commencing in November 2019.  

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

    ★★★★★ | Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

    Matthew Bourne's Cinderella review

    From the muted grey-scale colour palette of the opening act, through the smoke-filled streets of the Blitz and onto the underground dance halls of war-torn London, Matthew Bourne’s bold,  vivid and visually stunning reimagining of Cinderella is an utter delight. Doting to her father, mercilessly teased by her (extended) stepfamily and berated by her stepmother, Cinderella finds love amongst the destruction, as she falls for Harry, a dashing pilot.

    Bourne creates a world which is rich in characterisations, from the transformation of the mouse-like Cinderella into the belle of the ball to the Cruella de Ville style stepmother and the humorous, and deliciously creepy, foot-fetishist stepbrother. Every dancer tells an individual story, and each character has their own tale to tell. Yet despite having so much to look at, Bourne’s choreography seamlessly blends dance styles including lindy hop, jazz and ballet to create a clearly defined and easy to follow narrative; and there is a tangible sense of atmosphere permeating the theatre both within and throughout every scene. But underneath the fairy tale spectacle of it all, is a slightly darker story of love, yearning and belonging, bringing with it the power to pack an emotional punch.

    In a cast of technically precise dancers, Ashley Shaw is captivating as the titular heroine, whilst Andrew Monaghan simply excelled as he cut a swathe across the floor as the dashing pilot, proving that the romanticised notion of the leading man is still very much around. Lez Brotherston’s set design is superb, reflecting the hum-drum monotony of Cinderella’s home life in Act 1 before (quite literally) exploding into a riot of colour and movement in the second act and continuing to surprise well into Act 3. The show has a cinematic quality and feel to it, and is as inventive and multi-layered as it is visually exciting.

    Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is a phenomenal breath-taking production which is absolutely sublime on every level.

    The show runs at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until 19th May 2018 before continuing on its national tour. New Adventures has recently announced a new national tour for Swan Lake for 2018/19

  • Theatre Review | Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

    ★★★★★ Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty | In a reworking of the classic fairy tale, Princess Aurora is cursed by the dark fairy, Carabosse, to die after pricking her finger on a rose on her 21st birthday. But after Carabosse dies in exile, her son Caradoc vows to avenge his mother and fulfil her curse. But things don’t go according to plan and instead, Aurora falls into a deep sleep for 100 years, meaning that is down to Leo, the royal groundskeeper and Aurora’s true  love, and Count Lilac, King of the Fairies, to save her; in this gothic, romantic, love story that transcends the centuries.

    Photo Credit: Johan Persson

    Bourne is known for placing a contemporary spin on a classic ballet score, having already taken on two of Tchaikovsky’s greatest, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake with great success; and he completes his trilogy with Sleeping Beauty, setting a fresh take on the story to the time honoured traditional score, with an elegant production.

    Bourne delivers some intricate and masterful choreography that veers between the playful, the romantic and the dramatic; as he floods the stage with waves of movement to completely mesmerise the audience, clearly define the characters and progress the narrative. Where he really succeeds is the pacing of the piece, as it opens strongly and keeps building and building, with each set piece seemingly bettering the one before.

    The cast were universally outstanding, with Ashley Shaw demonstrating a natural grace and skill with her portrayal of Princess Aurora. Chris Trenfield was delightfully charismatic and alluring as Leo and Adam Maskell revelled in his deliciously dark dual roles as both Carabosse and Caradoc, roles which he has clearly now defined. But equally, there was very little to separate out the remaining ensemble whose technical skill, timing, precision and uniformity was impeccable, from their delicate and intricate movements to their facial expressions.

    From the jolting opening scene with its booming thunder to the thrilling final act (which I shall not spoil), Sleeping Beauty is a sumptuous production with an overlay of vampirism, gothic beauty and visuals which enchant and enthral. In a show which oozes quality from every aspect, in terms of set, costume, lighting, direction, performance and visuals, it amount to two hours of simply breath-taking, flawless and unforgettable theatre.

    Sleeping Beauty is currently at Sheffield Theatres until 21st May 2016 (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk). Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures have recently announced Matthew Bourne’s new production, The Red Shoes, which will have its world premiere in Plymouth in November 2016 and which is to tour nationwide in 2016/17. Visit www.new-adventures.net/ for details.

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, UK Tour

    ★★★★★ | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, UK Tour

    Matthew Bourne’s critically acclaimed production of Swan Lake is welcomed back to the stage on this national tour. Based on the traditional ballet, Bourne provides an updated and contemporary vision of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece. The piece follows a young prince who is bored with his life of public duties and frustrated by his mother’s inability to truly show any affection towards him. His life escalates to the point where he contemplates suicide, but changes his mind when he appreciates the beauty and magnificence of the swans on the lake. But his saviours may also be his downfall as matters culminate in confrontation and rejection at the Grand Ball.

    Bourne’s signature contemporary twist on the classic ballet is simply outstanding and leads to a beautiful, moving and breath-taking pieces of theatre. This version is perhaps best known for using an all-male ensemble for the bevy of swans, but whilst there is no denying the dramatic impact that places on the piece, there are so many other elements which elevate this piece of dance to the dizzying heights it reaches.

    Starting with the music, the show preserves Tchaikovsky’s score and plays it beautifully, with the sound being crisp, crystal clear and loud enough to be the perfect balance of being dramatic but never intrusive. The costumes were lavish, even down to the finest details. The set was sturdily constructed and looked amazing. The use of lighting created an individual atmosphere in every single scene and an incredible use of shadows during one particular scene created a chilling environment. In essence, the whole production was of the highest quality and absolutely oozed an abundance of class and sophistication.

    From the almost monochrome opening scenes in the palatial bedchamber to the vibrant explosion of colour in the Swank Bar, the modern twists provided by Bourne provided for a fresh and vivacious production which constantly surprised and delighted in equal measures. A combination of clever nods to the source material added to the joy, for example, Bourne boldly stages a ballet within a ballet, poking some tongue in cheek fun at the romantic ballets themselves, of which Swan Lake is a prime example.

    The grace, elegance and sheer talent of the entire cast was undeniable and simply could not be faulted in any way. The infusion of different style of dance, from ballet to jazz and beyond was seamless and fitted the traditional score perfectly whilst the narrative aspect of the production was easy to follow and conveyed the story well.

    By replacing the female swans with a male ensemble, the show has been interpreted as being very homo-erotic, not least because of the relationship between the Prince and the Male Swan but the attractive cast quite rightly underplay the point, keeping the show more on the right side of sensuality as opposed to eroticism.

    From the opening scenes to the terrifying and tearful finale, this show has everything to recommend it including humour, style, spectacle, originality and genuine emotion. As a piece of theatre, it cannot be recommended highly enough.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty

    With his new ballet, Matthew Bourne completes his trilogy of great Tchaikovsky ballets, which started with The Nutcracker back in 1992. (more…)

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Play Without Words

    If you’re anything like me then the ballet isn’t something you’ve considered as being your thing and contemporary dance conjures up images of incomprehensible manoeuvres performed with ridiculous seriousness. I always thought dance seemed a bit absurd and inaccessible.

    I saw a production of Matthew Bourne’s brilliant “Edward Scissorhands” in Nottingham a few years back and was proved entirely wrong. I’ve since seen quite a bit of modern dance and most of it has exceeded my expectations but my loyalties still lie with Mr Bourne. He’s certainly earned the many accolades and awards he’s gathered with his productions including the long running all male production of “Swan Lake”. He’s also earned the admiration of a whole load of gay men with the gay themed “Dorian Gray”, the homoerotic “The Car Man” (loosely based on “Carmen”) and the recent “Early Adventures” with its gay overtones and its homage to male underwear modelling. That’s not to mention the obligatory amount of lithe male flesh which is often on show. The Joan Crawford style stepmother in “Cinderella” was pure high camp and the scene where loose women and even looser men ply for trade in a 1940s Underground Station was enough to titillate even the most jaded palate.

    His latest production has just opened at Sadler’s Wells and is due to transfer to Norfolk and I’d recommend catching it before it’s too late. Forget the Olympics. This is definitely an inspirational show.

    The show is called “Play without Words” and is loosely based on 1960s British films like “The Servant”. It’s set in Chelsea in the upper class home of a bright young thing and revolves around his relationship with his manservant. It’s a fantastic production. The sense of seductive and permissive morals is played out with intensity against a back drop of desperate power struggles. The costumes, set and styling are breathtaking and the show manages to be suave and erotic as well as funny and invigorating. The dancing styles encompass a range of movements and the sheer force of some of the dance sets is immensely powerful. Catch it while you can! It’s the most chic and stylish thing you’ll see this year. Think Colin Firth in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man”. Oh…did I mention? There are some very attractive men in it too and they’re not too unhappy about showing off their bodies along with their dancing skills.

    The show is running at Sadler’s Wells until the 5th of August 2012 before a transfer to Norwich Theatre Royal from 7th to 12th of August 2012

    http://www.new-adventures.net/productions/play_without_words

    Matthew’s new production of “Sleeping Beauty” starts in November.

    http://www.new-adventures.net/productions/sleeping_beauty

    Chris Bridges writes for the Gay UK team and also publishes reviews and opinion articles on his blog: http://gayboyinterrupted.blogspot.co.uk/