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★★★★
Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures are back in Canterbury this week, with the renowned choreographer’s version of ‘The Red Shoes’. Based on the 1940s film and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale of the same name, Sir Matthew Bourne has brought his own creativity and flair to the source material, taking audiences through this dark and emotive story. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch the production on press night at the Marlowe Theatre and I was once again blown away by the quality of the performance. This is my fifth New Adventures show and even though it didn’t wow me quite as much as previous productions, there is so much to enjoy in this powerful piece of dance theatre.
Background and format
The story of ‘The Red Shoes’ is quite complex, following aspiring ballerina Victoria Page (Cordelia Braithwaite) who wants to join the Ballet Lermontov. Not long after being accepted, the principal dancer Irina Boronskaya (Holly Saw) becomes injured and Victoria is cast as the lead in the company’s production of ‘The Red Shoes’. The show-within-a-show format draws parallels with Victoria’s own journey as a ballet dancer, eventually having to choose between a life of love or a life of dance. At the centre of the story is a triangular relationship between Victoria, her love interest Julian Craster (Dominic North) and the ballet company’s impresario Boris Lermontov (Andy Monaghan), and it is where the material’s tension lies. There is so much drama and passion throughout, reflected in the choreography, cast performances and score, which is performed live by the New Adventures orchestra.
Thoughts on the narrative
With this production I believe that having prior knowledge of the source material and subject matter makes it considerably easier to follow the narrative. New Adventures’ shows do not feature dialogue; instead utilising the art forms of dance, exaggerated facial expression and manipulation of body language as methods of storytelling. Usually I think this is enough to guide audiences through the narrative, but with this production I found myself not always following the intricacies of the story and instead getting swept up in the beauty of the dancing. A little more clarity in the narrative and more focus on establishing the characters would turn this into a 5-star production for me, reaching the same heights as the visual design elements and choreography.
Set design
Lez Brotherston’s set design is extremely varied, but a particular standout moment is when the audience are taken behind the scenes of the rehearsal process for the show-within-a-show. I really enjoyed the rotation of the curtain set piece, showing what happens both in front of and behind the curtain. There’s something deeply powerful with this imagery, highlighting the idea that on-stage and off-stage life can blur into one. Furthermore a curtain like structure is used to showcase Victoria and Julian’s married life alongside Boris’ life. This split stage effect really helps to highlight the choices Victoria has to make.
Something I also really appreciate with New Adventures’ work is that the creative team project the names of key locations onto the set. This makes such a difference to the overall experience, especially with the lavish set changes and significant differences in visuals from scene to scene.
Dynamic and dramatic dance theatre
It goes without saying that Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures continues to be one of my favourite dance theatre companies. Whilst I don’t believe ‘The Red Shoes’ is quite as strong as 2024’s ‘Edward Scissorhands’ and last year’s revival of ‘Swan Lake’, there is still so much to admire in this beautiful production. The drama and passion in the storytelling is so impactful and the precision in the choreography is exquisite. The show is in Kent until Saturday 4th April, with last minute tickets available via the venue’s website. ‘The Red Shoes’ team kindly shared this availability graphic, so that I could highlight remaining ticket availability. As you can see, there is still some availability for the Easter weekend.
*My ticket for ‘Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes’ was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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