Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake takes flight once again

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

Matthew Ball in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

By Mark Pullinger, 13 December 2018

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“Bourne’s supremacy as a storyteller is unparalleled”

Reviewed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London on 12 December 2018

Swan Lake (Sir Matthew Bourne)

New Adventures

Brett Morris, Conductor

Lez Brotherston, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Paule Constable, Lighting Designer

Matthew Ball, Dancer

Will Bozier, Dancer

Max Westwell, Dancer

James Lovell, Dancer

Liam Mower, Dancer

Dominic North, Dancer

Nicole Kabera, Dancer

Katrina Lyndon, Dancer

The Swan Lake Orchestra

The Red Shoes: dazzling dance drama at Sadler’s Wells

Deborah Weiss, 10th December

Stunning visually, Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes makes a triumphant return to Sadler's Wells, with New Adventures at the top of its game.

*****

30 years on, Bourne’s Swan Lake still shines in Amsterdam

Mark Vicente, 30th October

Thirty years after its original production, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake makes its return to the stage championed by an impressive ensemble of dance artists from Bourne’s own company New Adventures.

*****

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell: emotionally compelling

Amanda Jennings, 12th June

In The Midnight Bell, Sir Matthew Bourne has produced some of his best choreography, loose and free-flowing but tense with desire and mixed with dread.

****1

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake: breathtakingly clear action

Amanda Jennings, 12th December

Bourne has created an extraordinary legacy. His Swan Lake will remain relevant for generations to come.

****1

Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet: a 21st century love story

Naomi Mori, 10th April

Sir Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures brought its groundbreaking Romeo and Juliet to Tokyo for the first time and wowed the audience with its magical storytelling.

*****

Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands: a huge cut above average

Deborah Weiss, 13th December

Bourne's Edward Scissorhands may not have quite the dramatic impact of his Romeo and Juliet or Swan Lake, but there is much to applaud and enjoy.

****1

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake triumphantly takes flight once again