REVIEW: Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures - Swan Lake at Mayflower Theatre

Mayflower Theatre has opened its doors to the wonderful Matthew Bourne once again as ‘Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake’ is back in Southampton! Sir Matthew Bourne is renowned for mixing classical and contemporary dance with popular culture references, to the point where ‘Matthew Bourne’ is almost his own genre of dance himself. A reputation like that has a lot to owe to this show that is still touring after 30 years! ‘Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake’ is renowned to have changed the world of dance forever - and it’s easy to see why. ‘Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake’ is such an iconic score with accompanying ballet that has become iconic throughout the years as well. What Matthew Bourne has done with his version, is take that icon and flip it - changed the mould if you will.

‘Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake’ made its debut at Sadler’s Wells in London 1995 and has literally taken the world by storm. Now the most successful dance theatre production of all time, this ‘outrageous reinvention’ is definitely not slowing down. If you are unaware of ‘Swan Lake’ and it’s traditional look, there is something called a corps-de-ballet which is the iconic group of female ballet dancers as the swans. When you say the word ballet, this may be one of the first things to pop into peoples heads, so when Matthew Bourne decided to break this tradition by changing it to a male ensemble of swans, heads were definitely turned. Along with head-turning direction and theme, Bourne’s choreo and character development is perfection. With no script or words, the emotion and connection you feel with each one of these characters is actually beautiful. And that’s without us even mentioning Bourne’s famous comedy factor as well.

When it comes to the actual performance, I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, in fact I’ll say it one thousand times - these guys aren’t just dancers and performers, they are athletes. The grace and power that the swans possessed was gorgeous, it was masculinity but like you’ve never seen it before. This is much like the character connections. ‘The Swan/The Stranger’ who was played by Jackson Fisch and ‘The Prince’ who was played by James Lovell, shared such a strong on stage connection - but not in a way where you thought this was weird but in a way where as an audience member I was also intertwined in the stress and heartache of what they were going through. Genuinely incredible. You also feel this same sense of heartache from ‘The Girlfriend’ played by Bryony Wood, but you now feel it in a slightly different sense. To portray all of this purely through movement and expression is an art form, and one that they have all perfected. The use of comedy from Bryony was also immaculate. Almost every time she was on stage, the whole auditorium would end up laughing at either something she did or her reaction to something on stage. A real spotlight stealer (in a good way!). I’ve already mentioned the power and grace that ‘The Swans’ portrayed, but their characterisation was also brilliant. In their movement you actually could believe that they were swans. In fact the whole company were amazing, and the energy they gave was as if it was the last performance of their lives - really leaving everything on that stage each night!

When we talk about set and design this is something The Next Generation never fall short of. Collaborating with Lez Brotherston again, ‘Swan Lake’ shows a perfect symbiotic relationship between set/design and dance. For these guys, the set isn’t just a set, it’s part of the story. It’s about bringing an idea to life. From the giant bed (that holds secrets in act 4), to the flats representing the night club, or the lake, or even the Royal Balls - this set is just wonderful. The same can be said for the lighting design as well. There is one particular moment where they really use the effect of the shadow through the Prince’s mirror frame projected to the back of the stage. This is only a simple thing to do but the actual effect it gives out is wonderful. This show also relies on some projections as well. Usually projections are very hit and miss, however in this case I think it’s a hit. I particularly liked the mix of ‘modern life’ you could see in the set. When we see a billboard with ‘Swan Matches’ on it, the swan depicted comes alive through projection - this is just a really great moment. I’d also like to give a little moment for the show within the show in act 1, you actually forget for a moment that you’re watching ‘Swan Lake’ and not the opera that the characters are watching.

Obviously ‘Swan Lake’ is composed by the amazing Tchaikovsky, with ‘The Swan Theme’ being probably one of the most iconic pieces of music coining itself to ballet. If you have ever read one of my reviews, you will know how much I love a live orchestra, in which a ballet such as ‘Swan Lake’ would usually have. However, ‘Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake’ didn’t and instead had a pre-recorded score conducted by Brett Morris with the Swan Lake Orchestra. The music was of course beautiful, and paired with what you were watching was incredible. I just wonder how much more impactful the music could’ve been and the dance for that matter, if it was a live orchestra. This ballet would’ve been an absolute 100% perfect piece of theatre if it had just had a live orchestra I think. However without, I think they’ll just have to sit at a measly 95% perfect instead ;).

Overall, ‘Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake’ is a must see. Whether you’re a fan of dance or not, you simply have to see this piece of theatre - there’s a reason its won the countless awards it has - and there’s a reason it’s still touring after 30 years! Matthew Bourne’s work has brought a new audience to dance which is what he intended, and ‘Swan Lake’ is one of his ballets that has introduced thousands of people to dance. So when I said earlier that this is the piece of art that changed the world of dance forever, I really meant that. Emotion and energy is something you will feel throughout this ballet, and it’s just inspiring to watch. The updated, ‘outrageous’ story is definitely something that holds just as well today as it did 30 years ago - in some ways you could actually say that it is more important in 2025. ‘Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake’ is at Mayflower Theatre until March 15th before continuing on the rest of it’s UK Tour, and if you don’t manage to catch it whilst it’s in Southampton, definitely make sure you catch this show if you ever get the chance!