Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures – Swan Lake (The Next Generation)

Director and Choreographer – Matthew Bourne

Composer – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Set And Costume Designer – Lez Brotherston

Lighting Designer – Paule Constable

Sound Designer – Ken Hampton

Tues 18th – Sat 22nd February 2025

Theatre Royal, Nottingham (Touring)

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is the cultural phenomenon that is now firmly embedded in the nation’s psyche. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, this reinvention of the Tchaikovsky original is recognised as the most successful dance production of all time. There’s little wonder that it has collected over 40 international accolades including the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and three Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

I first became truly aware of Bourne’s iteration of Swan Lake through the film version of Billy Elliot (2000) where the adult Billy performs as the lead swan in front of his father, brother, and best friend. It is a profoundly affecting moment that made me want to see the ballet itself. Sadly, it has taken me 25 years to realise that aim, but it is more than worth the wait.

Partly, I have laboured under the misapprehension that ballet somehow isn’t for me. That I might not appreciate the technicalities, the nuances or even the plot. There are few opportunities to experience live theatre or dance productions when you grow up in a very working class deprived area in the 1970s.

If you can relate to my reticence, then I appeal to you to take a chance on Swan Lake. Seeing is believing and you will not be disappointed. You don’t need to know the technical names of the steps, you won’t need to Google the plot before and after you attend, and you won’t feel like an imposter because this is dance for all. Whatever your age, your background, your life experience, prepare to be mesmerised.

As the show begins, we encounter a young Prince lying on an over-sized, elevated bed. The bed itself is a remarkable sight. Its oddly raised position, giant crown at the centre, and the angle of the headboard lend it a hint of magical realism. You already begin to feel as though you are watching through a slightly distorted lens or even Lewis Carroll’s looking glass.

The Prince (James Lovell) has had disturbing visions of a swan and seeks comfort and solace from his mother, The Queen (Nicole Kabera). However, she is distant, emotionally unavailable and dismisses his discomfort by functionally placing her hand on his forehead as though he is experiencing a raised temperature, nothing more.

Thereupon, we see the Prince cajoled and physically manoeuvred by servants into performing his civic duties. It is clearly a lonely life whereby he is starved of love and affection which is taking its toll on him psychologically. He is controlled not only by his mother but by The Private Secretary, tonight adroitly played by Benjamin Barlow Bazeley, looking every inch the dastardly villain.

The Prince’s alienation leads him to a dalliance with The Girlfriend (Bryony Wood) a seeming ‘gold digger’ and social climber. She provides a number of genuinely humorous moments as she continually breaches social etiquette.

Eventually, the Prince is driven to the point of suicide, venturing to the park in order to take his own life. This is when we encounter the breathtaking bank of swans. When lead Swan (Harrison Dowzell) first enters and the music drops, there is absolute silence in the house. You can feel the collective gaze upon him – the appreciation for both the performer, his skill, and that iconic costume.

It is impossible to review Bourne’s Swan Lake without commenting on the magnificent Costume and Set Design by Lez Brotherston. The beauty is in the simplicity of the swans’ make-up and attire. The feathered thighs, the kohl-outlined eyes, the black triangles on foreheads and the shaved hair lend a unity and cohesion that is striking, appealing and concurrently menacing. If you have seen Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963) or indeed read Leda and the Swan by W.B. Yeats (1923), you may well appreciate the mythic danger underpinning their arrival.

When they begin to dance, the swans are completely magnetic. They are powerful, graceful, yet also animalistic; the choreography is stunning. You may focus on one swan, but then your eyes are drawn to another, then to a third or a fourth. There is so much talent on display.

Yet the lodestar is Dowzell. His is a stellar performance, both as the Swan and later as The Stranger. When he dances his pas-de-deux with the Prince, you know you are witnessing something incredibly special. They mirror with pinpoint precision but keep their individualism; the Swan’s athleticism providing a counterpoint to the Prince’s boyish approaches.

Suffice to say, there is no happy ending as we watch the Prince’s subsequent decline, and I do not wish to give away too much. Act 4 which takes place in his bedroom is particularly moving and also threatening as rubber-masked nurses and a sinister ‘doctor’ appear on stage.

You may think that a night at the ballet is not for you, but Bourne’s Swan Lake is unique. Even after 30 years it still has the power to enthral. Images will flutter through your mind like those of the most exquisite Victorian zoetrope long after you have left the theatre.

Rating – 5*

Running Time – 2 hours 20 mins (including 20-min interval)

Age Guidance – 5+