Friday March 29, 2024
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake
Review

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

February 27 2007

This version of Swan Lake is arguably the most famous in contemporary classical ballet. And with good reason. Dancer-turned choreographer Matthew Bourne devised his psycho-sexual reinterpretation of the work more than a decade ago and, from its London premiere production to this revival, it's been wowing audiences around the world ever since.

As you may know - given how its notoriety precedes it - the Bourne Swan Lake has a male Swan in place of the female Odette, so when the Prince falls in love you can take your pick as to whether it's narcissism or homo-erotica. And, of course, the Cygnets are muscular and gorgeous young men instead of ethereal, en pointe girls. All in all, a great show to have in town during Mardi Gras!

On opening night Swan Lake scored a half standing ovation and pleased its audience mightily. Those who remained seated were, perhaps, not quite so overawed by the reputation and just a little bit disappointed with the rather ragged corps. Jetlag was suggested by some, battle fatigue by others. Who knows, maybe it's actually supposed to be rough around the edges - it's guys, after all, not primping perky chicks.

Also interesting for not exactly the right reasons was the dual standard of Alan Vincent who danced the Swan in the first half, then the leather-clad Stranger in the second. Traditionally these two are Odette and Odile - the alter and unter egos, black and white, good and evil, nice and nasty. Very few ballerinas can pull off the personality switch necessary to dance both roles to equal heights (Darcey Bussell comes immediately to mind) and Vincent is no Darcey Bussell). Earth-bound and almost lumpen as the Swan - who could never be imagined in flight or as a figment of the imagination - he was, however, electrifyingly sexy, strong and convincing in the black leather and smoulder of The Stranger.

Nevertheless, this Swan Lake is so far above what is normally on offer in Australia it seems churlish to be picky. As a work of imagination, theatre, dance, comedy and drama it is without parallel in classical ballet in this country. Even though it's now more than a decade old, it's still fresh and original. And that probably says more about the sheltered workshop that is Australian ballet than it does about Bourne's masterpiece.

In a production that's loaded with characterful dancers, Nina Goldman shines in the role of the brassy, clueless hoofer The Girlfriend, She's a dancing actress whose comedy timing and pizzaz puts one in mind of Chloe Dallimore in The Producers. The Prince (Christopher Marney) is cute and princely, full of picturesque angst and misplaced filial love for ... The Queen (Saranne Curtin), a circa 1955 Princess Margaret man-eater swathed in Balenciaga and bitchiness.

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

(There are two casts of principals - they take it turn and turn about.)

Lez Brotherston's costumes and stage design have become iconic over the past ten years and are simple, stark, effective and properly fantastical: lots of moonlight, icy blues and ghostly white; and of course, the swan costumes - bare torsos and feathered legs - must now be as instantly recognisable as Nijinsky's Blue God outfit.

The production utilises a specially recorded version of what seems to be all Tchaikovsky's fabled music for this ballet and so, there are long passages when one can reflect at leisure on why, over the years, most versions have been cut by 10 minutes or so. Just because Tchaikovsky wrote it is not necessarily sufficient reason to include it. But again: the whole is much greater than the parts and this is a Swan Lake to see and savour. It's magical and a great night of theatre and dance.

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Capitol Theatre, Sydney to March 18; Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane, March 26-April 1; Regent Theatre Melbourne, April 10-29; Burswood Theatre Perth, May 4-13; check www.swanlaketour.com/ for bookings and more information.

 

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