The Stage

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

Published Monday 21 December 2009 at 11:05 by Sarah Wilkinson

For someone familiar with the plotline of the traditional Swan Lake, it shouldn’t be hard to follow Matthew Bourne’s contemporary adaptation. Unfortunately, it is. Despite the tight choreography and clearly articulated gestures, the demarcation of good and evil is oddly blurred, while none of the characters, save perhaps the Prince, are particularly sympathetic. The sorry result of this is that when the Swan - danced with ferocious and absorbing intensity by Richard Winsor - meets a violent end, we are not entirely sure whether he deserves it.

Richard Winsor (The Swan) in Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne at Sadler's Wells Photo: Tristram Kenton

The key confusion lies in the re-imagining of Von Rothbart, an evil sorcerer, as ‘The Private Secretary’. In traditional productions, Von Rothbart conjures his daughter, Odile, to emulate the Prince Siegfried’s beloved swan princess and trick him into falling in love with her instead. In Bourne’s production, however, it is difficult to tell whether the brooding stranger at the royal party is, in fact, the Swan in human form. His malicious and promiscuous flirtations, therefore, are troubling to those who haven’t caught on.

When all gets a little confusing, however, there are always the glistening, rippling muscles of the gorgeous male swans to watch and some fine, joyous dancing from the female ensemble. Katy Lowenhoff stands out in every guise she dons. From mocking butterfly in the meta-theatrical ballet within a ballet, to sexy party guest in sumptuous black dress (courtesey of Lez Brotherston), she illuminates the stage and draws the eye. The production suffers slightly without the glorious Adam Cooper dancing at the helm, but its still a testament to the theatrical potential of modern ballet.