Matthew Bourne brings a stylish and smoky, late 1940s feel to the mystical fairytale of The Red Shoes. Dramatic yet comedic, this cleverly directed ballet perfectly welds serious storytelling with comical wit. With a beautifully-designed, classy stage set behind heartbreakingly believable characters, expect to immerse yourself into the deeply emotional battle of passion and love fought throughout this remarkable production. Synopsis Set in late 1940s to early 1950s London, the ballet opens with a young gentleman walking across the black backdrop into the single spotlight. The story unfolds… A young ballerina, Victoria Page, is spotted by French ballet impresario, Boris Lermontov, who invites her to dance at his ballet company in Monte Carlo. Lermontov employs a young composer, Julian Craster, to compose a ballet based upon Han Christian Anderson’s The Red Shoes. Stress and tensions are running high in the studio and Lermontov and Craster have frequent sharp, frustrated encounters centered around the piano. During intense rehearsal, the lead ballerina falls and injures herself. She is devastated along with the production team, but Victoria’s talent had not gone unnoticed and she is offered the lead role and performs The Red Shoes beautifully. At times we are watching the ballet ourselves, where other times, with the clever use of a moving set, we see an audience watching the ballet as if from behind the stage.
Victoria and Craster fall in love whilst working together and once the production is over, they move back to London to be with each other. Victoria now dances at a music hall but this is not fulfilling her, and she misses the passion and achievement she felt from dancing for Lermontov’s company. When the opportunity to dance for Lermontov arises once again, she is torn between her true love and her true passion. She takes the opportunity and moves back to Monte Carlo to perform The Red Shoes once again. Craster follows his love to Monte Carlo in attempt to lure her back to him. She is emotionally torn, but decides to flee from Lermontov, back into the arms of her love, Julian Craster.
Victoria struggles with her decision and can’t seem to quench her thirst for the way she felt the first time she and Craster both performed for Lermontov. Yet, she must choose between her two true loves. She kept the red shoes from the ballet in a suitcase, stuck swaying between their enticement and Craster’s attraction, she sways between her affections for him and her passion for the art of dance. Victoria dances into a frenzy, and in her turmoil and hysteria, she falls in front of a train and is killed. Analysis I didn’t expect to laugh out loud as it is not a reaction particularly attached to a watching Ballet- but this production felt equally a comedy as it was a drama. The cast’s hilariously-timed mannerisms and witty reactions were fantastic! The audience were hanging on to their every movement, mesmerised by their fluid movements whilst brilliantly entertained by the various (somewhat quirky) characters portrayed so cleverly through this classic dance style with a swanky, contemporary twist. The performance was both serious yet silly, following a dramatic, arguably dark narrative throughout with moments of hilarity and cheekiness.
The strength and agility of the dancers was unbelievable. One particularly memorable scene in Act 1 where Victoria was trapped under the power of the red shoes was utterly captivating; creating almost insect-like movements the dancer really looked as though she was being controlled by another force. She managed to create a realistic sense of involuntary movements whilst painting feelings of confusion and discomfort. It was disturbingly inventive and truly astounding. The frustrated yet charismatic solo from Craster on the low-lit stage was another stand-out moment. It was full of passion and artistic torment and the incorporation of the piano as if more than an inanimate object but almost another character, a partner, a spring-board for his expression was most interesting. I enjoyed the use of props, in particular the beach balls added a fun, playful edge to the ballet and for such a large and flimsy prop, they were incorporated into the routine excellently.
The moving set was fabulous, with the use of different angles to create multiple aspects and spaces felt uniquely contemporary and intimate compared to a more classic ballet- allowing you to forget it was a stage in parts. Scenes where the rehearsal studio took form held a rather swanky, modern classy atmosphere. The spectacular range of costumes was also impressive, with the most beautiful crisp white dresses and elegant tail suits to bright swimsuit costumes, all helped bring a flair to this production. The music in this ballet is beautiful. The building of crescendos and changes of tempo go hand-in-hand with the dance to tell this emotional story. At times it felt as if the performers were controlling the orchestra as their musical interpretations were flawless. The final scene was the most dramatic with the attention of the whole auditorium drawn to the centre of the stage. The claps from the background performers grew, making the impression of a train’s chugging and soon after the audience were on their feet for this sensational production.
Summary A ballet of allure and charm. Illustrating the destructive tug of artistic expression and desire for true love, Matthew Bourne’s Production of The Red Shoes presents a force strong enough to break a life. A classy, contemporary ballet with the perfect balance of humour and heartache. Duration: 120 mins incl. interval
Age Rating: 12
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