Review: Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake at the Liverpool Empire

Feb 24 2010 by Jo Henwood, Chester Chronicle

MATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE/Liverpool Empire, until Saturday and The Lowry, Salford Quays from March 1-6

REVIEW/by Jo Henwood

MODERN classic is an oxymoron but the perfect phrase to describe Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, which is on tour at the Liverpool Empire this week and The Lowry from Monday March 1.

Tchaikovsky’s classic score is complemented by Bourne’s contemporary choreography as Petipa’s traditional corps of beautiful female swans is replaced with an eyrar of aggressive, posturing male swans.

Richard Winsor as The Swan brought a lyricism to the role that I have not seen before but I preferred his interpretation of The Stranger (the traditional black swan), who appears at the Royal Ball in Act 3 to torment the Prince.

Sam Archer’s Prince was an angst-ridden King-in-Waiting, whose inner turmoil of the futility of his role is never resolved.

This is no male ballet but a tragi-comic dance drama with challenging roles for women.

New Adventures stalwart Nina Goldman is detached and haughty as The Queen in a portrayal that is perhaps redolent of a regal mother/son relationship closer to home.

A little light relief is provided by Madelaine Brennan as The Girlfriend as I imagined Prince William making out with a dim-witted Big Brother contestant.

Act 2 is the pinnacle of the piece as an ensemble of about 20 men, resplendent in Lez Brotherston’s award-winning swan costumes, parade around a city park, as the Prince contemplates suicide. This ensemble was not as tight a pack as I’ve seen in the past but the choreography is a spell-binding, muscular treat.

In the Q & A session after the show, Bourne was asked how he would feel if his work was still being performed in 100 years time.

Bourne is a contemporary of mine and I know that I will be still buying tickets well into my dotage.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is at The Lowry from March 1 - 6. For tickets telephone 0843 208 6000.