Thirty years after its original production, Sir Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake makes its return to the stage, stopping at Amsterdam’s Carré Theatre for a limited engagement. In 1995, the production turned ballet on its head, subverting gender roles with an all-male cast of swans and winning a slew of awards. Now, Swan Lake: The Next Generation is championed by an impressive ensemble of dance artists from Bourne’s own company New Adventures with much aplomb.
It might be controversial to suggest that Bourne’s Swan Lake is not exactly a ballet per se, especially having the distinction of being the longest running ballet on Broadway and the West End. However, what I would say is that this Swan Lake is not just a ballet but a love letter to dance theatre itself.
Matthew Bourne loves dance full stop. Choreographed to the original music of Swan Lake composed by Tchaikovsky, Bourne’s dance palette is coloured by a variety of influences from turn of the 20th century Russian ballets to Broadway’s Fosse, deliciously layered with British pantomime and a generous dose of nostalgia for Hollywood’s movie musical.
It’s a wonder that this maximalist approach to movement doesn’t go off the rails but Bourne masterfully toes the line. By tethering the variety of dance styles to Tchaikovsky’s classical composition, Bourne is able to employ the music to uncover and unlock surprising nuances. Certainly, it’s always a treat to have a live orchestra, especially for ballet, but there is something deeply satisfying to witness a work choreographed in a tempo that is set by the original score.
Case in point, the moment the male swans barrel onto the stage in the middle of the first act. Instead of the languid and poetic breadth of movement that Swan Lake is so often associated with, Bourne’s swans are fearless and feral. In unison, the men flutter and squawk and kick, propelled by the quick rhythm of the music to punctuate animalistic gestures that mimic a bird in the wild. Even when The Swan, danced by Jackson Fisch, enters for the first time, Bourne uses the syncopated underscoring of the violin plucking to emphasise the Swan’s tentative darting motions towards the Prince, portrayed by Stephen Murray.
Every moment in Swan Lake is meticulously thought out and Bourne is in his element with the swan scenes. He is keenly aware of Swan Lake’s balletic sequencing and does enough to subvert it with innovative gestures without ruffling too many feathers. Ballet devotees will certainly note Bourne’s reverence to the art form, framing the central dance duet between The Swan and The Prince with ornamental male swans on the periphery, sometimes with soft wrists crossing behind them, almost a mirror opposite to the all-female version.
The audience is also treated to a dance of “Big Swans” and “Baby Swans,” as in the original ballet, with male counterparts. Lez Brotherston’s iconic costume design evokes a sensual frisson, each tendril of feathery fabric sewn onto the male swans’ tights fluttering with every leap or quivering like a shiver when poised on one leg.
Stephen Murray does an outstanding portrayal as The Prince, the central figure of Bourne’s Swan Lake, who longs for intimacy from his mother, the Queen, played to icy perfection by Katrina Lyndon. This desire for love is complicated by a sexual awakening intensified by his encounter with the Swan. Jackson Fisch is a technically strong dancer, portraying The Swan with a stoic charisma. As the Stranger, Fisch excels as the dangerous charmer, seducing both The Queen and The Prince which results in his mental collapse. Notable mention goes to Bryony Wood as the Girlfriend whose embodiment of Hollywood starlet meets Elle Woods meets Barbie contributed much of the camp humour needed to contrast with the production’s darker tone.
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake: The Next Generation will certainly dazzle the next generation of audiences. The production strikes the perfect balance between being accessible without pandering, welcoming new audience members whilst giving seasoned theatre goers a profound live experience that still resonates today.
