REVIEW: Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Sheffield Theatres

MATTHEW Bourne’s Swan Lake beautifully reimagines the traditional 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, performed at Sheffield Theatres, 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.

Both Rory Macleod as The Swan and James Lovell as The Prince simply excelled in their lead performances, with a genuine on-stage chemistry and with Macleod’s strength and fierceness being beautifully counterbalanced by Lovell’s vulnerability and yearning.

Equally Bryony Wood was utterly delightful as The Girlfriend, but it seems very unfair to single out any dancer from an ensemble who universally oozed such talent and charisma.

From the opening scenes to the terrifying 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 flawless, mesmerising and simply sublime.

Review by Paul Szabo