Forget tutus and ballerinas, the swans in this 30th anniversary revival of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake are the sort that could break your arm – or your heart.
Infamous on its debut for switching the traditional flock for a set of cobs, the show has lost none of its muscular robustness three decades later. Bare shoulders crease and flex like wings, arms creep and bend like sinewy necks – and none more so than on Jackson Fisch as the lead Swan.
The story is also transformed from the familiar ballet with Tchaikovsky’s score reordered around a new plot: a young prince is lonely and neglected by his mother who is more interested in flirting with footmen than her son. He despairs but is rescued by a vision of a Swan – but increasingly confuses his imagination and reality, leading to a tragic end.
Stephen Murray brings the Prince to life with an charming naivety, caught between his need for affection and the intrigue of palace life – mistakenly believing he is betrayed by his Girlfriend, played with delicious exuberance by Bryony Wood.
Nicole Kabera is a sensual and fierce Queen, as – in a very different way – are the four corps who bring plenty of attitude to the Dance of the Little Swans.
There are dozen of perfect moments like this dotted through the piece – the ballet within the ballet with its grotesque costumes and harsh lighting, parodying traditional productions; Lyndon’s ingenue Girlfriend taking a phone call in the royal box; the eerie use of shadows, as the Prince and Queen’s relationship breaks down.
Despite all that, and an exceptional pas de deux between Fisch and Murray – their tender, nervous, and brittle courtship is perfectly executed – it is the swan army that really makes the show. As a group they stamp and hiss, sweep and brood with an intense physicality, and no more so than in the final scenes.
Bourne’s vision is bold and breath-taking. Even now well-established as a piece of theatre it still has the capacity to draw wonder, and married with Lez Brotherston’s costume and set designs remains a superlative visual feast.
- Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 22 March 2025
