Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake The Next Generation at Theatre Royal Plymouth Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Laura B
I have always wanted to see Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake production so when I was offered tickets to the 30th anniversary revival of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – ‘The Next Generation’ – I was the first in the line!
To say I was excited was an understatement, I had told everyone I knew I was off to ‘THE’ ballet this evening. And how lucky were we in the South West that Plymouth was chosen to kick off the tour ahead of the eight-week annual Christmas season that will take place at Sadler’s Wells from December 3 to January 26, 2025.
I do like the Theatre Royal in Plymouth as a theatre, it’s in the city centre right next door to a large multistorey car park, easily accessible for all and the seating is situated in such a way that you can see the stage easily from wherever you are positioned, also, there are plenty of toilets and there is no dress code.
I had heard extremely good things about Matthew Bourne’s beautiful adaptation of the classic ballet, and as a ‘first timer’ I was not disappointed. I have only positive feelings about the performance last night, and it’s fair to say, that I was in awe, from start to finish.
The stage sets are simple yet work well, the lighting in several of the acts creates ‘shadows’ on the set that form part of the story.
The only negative is, that there are three lead dancers allocated to each of the main roles, and it would have been helpful to have been made aware of the name of which dancer was dancing these roles for our performance, either by way of an announcement at the start of the performance or via a piece of paper within the programme. Each dancer was perfect and flawless in their role.
The dancers’ costume designs were beautiful, their outfits flowed and shimmered on the dancers, and I loved that the swans presented as so raw, yet so fluid, with their beautiful feathers, bare chests and feet.
Matthew Bourne is best known for replacing the traditional female corps de ballet with a male ensemble. ‘The Next Generation’ blends dance, style, humour, spectacle, character comedy and mime to create a moving, memorable, inspiring and powerful Swan Lake for our times.
Since its 9th November 1995 world premiere at Saddler’s Wells, Matthew Bourne’s breathtaking and ‘sensuous’ version of Swan Lake has become the longest running ballet in the London’s West End and on Broadway. Over the years, it has already enjoyed four successful tours in the UK and has continued to inspire young dancers throughout the world.
Bourne has collected over thirty international theatre awards including three Tonys and Swan Lake has been acclaimed on the international stage.
I laughed, I cried, but best of all, I loved it from beginning to the standing ovation at the end of the final act, from the full house. Would I want to see it again. Absolutely.
If there is any one play, show, theatre, drama, ballet or opera that is a must see during your lifetime – this is the one. It is easy to see how the performance of ‘The Next Generation’ can and will impact on our next generation as individuals.
Rating: 5/5
I would give it a rating of 5/5. This truly is not to be missed.
Plymouth Theatre Royal, Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR
Telephone 01752 267222
https://theatreroyal.com
Prices range from £54.50 with a running time of approx. 2hrs 20mins.
https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/swan-lake/
Rating: 5/5