Arts > Theatre

The Red Shoes

Norwich Theatre Royal

22/02/17

I saw Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes when I was six or seven years old. It was bloody terrifying – the blurring of the line between fantasy and reality wasn’t something I could understand. As a small round girl taking ballet lessons, if anything it put me off continuing to dance rather than encourage me. Watching the film again a couple of weeks ago it was still bloody terrifying in a different way, now that I understand madness, love, obsession and ambition a little better. As a big Matthew Bourne fan I was intrigued as to how he would translate this bizarre and quite wordy film into dance theatre. But knowing his transcendental ability to make the impossible possible and the fantastical real, I knew if anyone could do it, he could.

Taking place in London and the French Riviera in the late 1940’s, the sets, as you’d imagine are stunning. There are seaside scenes with dancing with beach balls and grandiose parlours filled with gold but most intriguing and cleverly done are the scenes set in the actual theatre. A theatre within a theatre, with fake brick wings, a huge rotating fake red curtain and even theatre seats and an audience sitting facing us, with acts performing at times with their backs to us. The costumes are second to none as always, with everything from glittery tutus to pyjamas by way of swimming costumes and raggedy gothic black tunics. Bourne never ever fails to impress in every way. The dancers engage with each other and the audience continuously, whatever they happen to doing onstage, and even the smallest hint of emotions shown on their faces or through their movements are reflected back by us. The music comes from golden-age Hollywood composer, Bernard Herrmann, most famous for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Martin Scorsese, and has such drama and tension to it that it fits in perfectly. The lights, as ever, were perfect - there's a moment where it's twilight and the blue was so intense it almost made me cry.

Duty vs passion is the pivotal theme of The Red Shoes – should Vicky Page follow her romantic dreams with composer and all-round-nice-guy Julian, or follow her creative dreams with the unbending but passionate Lermontov, ballet impresario? It tears her apart, giving Ashley Shaw, Sam Archer and Dominic North (poor Dominic North, always lovelorn and running after the girl!) the opportunity to act and dance in a very narrative style for this particular ballet. I particulalry enjoyed the duet between Vicky and Julian in their bedroom, when it all starts to fall apart between them. My only tiny criticism is that there could have been more time spent showing their blossoming romance in Monte Carlo - another duet perhaps to then contrast with the one at the end? There are many examples of dance during the performance, even a hilarious sand dance, and Bourne manages as ever to cut the tension with humour, wit and charm right when it needs it. Ballet dancers playing ballet dancers creates a wheel within a wheel, and the feeling of reality versus fantasy is even stronger seeing this story played out on stage. The dancers are elegant, cute, impressive, funny, heartbreaking and most importantly, honest in their movements. I love that Ashley Shaw, playing Vicky, is a bit short, and has a woman's body - she is stunningly beautiful, and real.

The 17 minute ballet, The Red Shoes, falls right before the interval, and is extraordinary, with huge white paneled screens that fold in claustrophobically, making the Theatre Royal’s stage 2D and more like we’re suddenly in Hitchcock’s world. The sparseness of the set, combined with dancers dressed in black, their shadows leaping and reaching against the white is an amazing effect, as is the wind and storm, created with sound effects, skirts made of feathers that blow in the gale and a spinning projection against the white that is so discombobulating that I start to feel dizzy, which is of course exactly what’s supposed to happen.

I loved this ballet. It was brave and enchanting and human and bright and fun and tragic and epic. If you’ve never been to see a Matthew Bourne ballet before, he’ll be bringing Cinderella back next year which is also a winner – just make sure you get your tickets lickety split as all his shows usually sell out. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Miss it and miss out on the most mysterious, magical theatre experience one can have in theatre today. Bloody brilliant. If you don't believe me, check out our reviews of a couple of his previous works at the Theatre Royal over the past few years..Sleeping Beauty and Edward Scissorhands.

Thanks also to Matthew Bourne himself for spending time doing a Q&A with the audience afterwards. Such a lovely, warm, normal, passionate man.