Birmingham Hippodrome – until 15th February 2025
Reviewed by Emma Millward
5*****
Making its world premiere at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on 9th November 1995, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is celebrating 30 years of entertaining audiences worldwide. Based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1877 ballet, this production is best known for having the female parts of the swan danced by men. Sir Matthew Bourne updated the original ballet’s narrative to focus on a young Prince (Stephen Murray) and his repressed sexuality and disillusionment with his privileged life.
In the first act, we meet the Prince who awakens from nightmares of swans and tries to get comfort from his cold and emotionally distant Mother, the Queen (Ashley Shaw) who rebuffs him and leaves him to be looked after by the maids in the palace. His life revolves around doing his Princely duties alongside the Queen. Clever use of ropes and other props were used to depict ribbon cutting and boat christening. The Prince meets the Girlfriend (Bryony Wood), a ditzy lady who infiltrates the royal family much to the Queen’s annoyance. Watching over the proceedings is the Private Secretary (James Lovell) who tries to control the behaviour of the Prince and the Girlfriend even if that involves paying people off.
After being caught in a drunken state by the paparazzi, the Prince goes to the park intent on ending his life. Instead, he encounters the Swan (Jackson Fisch) that haunts his dreams and after an initial distrust, they dance together and fall in love. The choreography throughout the show is breathtaking, but for me, Act 2 set in the city park stayed with me. The swans are all barefooted, bare-chested and often aggressively hissing. They manage to be sensual and powerful at the same time. As with other Bourne/New Adventure productions, Lez Brotherton’s set and costume design is outstanding. The dimly lit park and lake set the scene perfectly for the pas de deux between the Prince and the Swan, and the group dance between the Prince and the other swans which leads him to rethink his desire to end his life.
The Stranger (Jackson Fisch, in a dual role) is a dark and mysterious character who dominates the second half of the show. Both characters he plays in the show captivate the audience and I honestly couldn’t take my eyes off him. The chemistry between Jackson Fisch and Stephen Murray as the Swan and the Prince was electric throughout. The Prince’s descent into apparent madness before the devastating finale is emotional, and the prolonged standing ovation that followed was definitely deserved.
The show is told entirely through dance (albeit the occasional silently mouthed word from the Girlfriend), so it is left to the audience to decide if the Swan is all in the Prince’s imagination or actually there. This adds to the mystery of the production. Whether you are a seasoned fan of Ballet or a relative newcomer (like myself, having only previously seen Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands), Matthew Bourne and New Adventures continue to create shows that offer something for everyone. Thirty years and still going strong, this majestic and mesmerising show will definitely keep audiences enthralled for many more years to come.