Swan Lake 5th Feb - 15th Feb

I admit I was a bit torn tonight. Normally when you mention Matthew Bourne and Swan Lake in the same sentence you have responses telling you just how fantastic it was and it is so modern, so beautiful, they all seem to have seen it multiple time. With this is mind I knew I was in for something special but at the same time I have never been a fan of ballet. 

While I still stand by that I do have to admit that the show was quite spectacular! The choreography was particularly stunning and for someone who isn't so keen on ballet there were several other genres of dance that managed to seep in and maneuver away from the traditional ballet. 

The second act seemed to drag on for a bit to long, in my opinion. The third and fourth acts drew me back in and it wasn't until the final scene that I realised how invested I was.

Chris Trenfield, who played the Swan tonight showed that swans do not always have to be portrayed by delicate ballerinas but instead his swan was more masculine and aggressive and at times seemed more swan-like than would have been expected. 

Likewise Andrew Monaghan - who played the tortured prince who desires affection from his mother and from his feathered companion carried the narrative throughout and even when on stage on his own he completely dominated every move he made. 

Saranne Curtin - The queen was so glamorous in all her majestic costumes and although he struggled to warm up to her son, she definitely managed to warm up  to the audience. 

Carrie Johnson - the girlfriend was your typical blonde hair, high heels - Elle Woods - style character. She kept the story light and humorous. That isn't to say that her dancing was any less elegant than the others.

Paul Smethurst who played the Private Secretary kept everything in perfect order such as teaching the girlfriend how to behave appropriately. Also another funny character but also really came through with the dancing. 

I seem to be in the minority who says I think once was enough so I would thoroughly encourage everyone to go see it. After all, all those people can't be wrong... 

Click here to get your tickets!

Ensemble: Ashley Shaw, Chatelle Gotobed, Katrina Lyndon, Cordelia Braithwaite, Stephanie Billers, Freya Field, Emma Chadwick, Ivan Delgado Del Rio, Tom Cummings, RObin Gladwin, Otis - Cameron Carr, Graham Kotowich, Tom Broderick, Andy Macleman, Edd Mitton, PJ Hurst, Jack Jones, Glenn Graham, Luke Jackson, Tom Clark & Harry Clark

For anyone who has tickets for the show on the 13th of February you will be in for a special treat just before the curtain goes up. In partnership with Matthew Bourne and Re: Bourne, a charity run by the dance company New Adventures and the Hippodrome's very own Curtain Raiser, will give the opportunity for 16-18 year old students the experience of working with professional dancers and choreographers. Over the last few months students from Stratford-upon-Avon, Walsall College and Birmingham Ormiston Academy have been working with Dominic North - one of Bourne's principle dancers, and Clare Palethorpe - a freelance dance practitioner, on their curtain-raiser. This will be a five minute performance, inspired by Swan Lake - 19 young men will have the joy of dancing on the Hippodrome's main stage to an audience of almost 1,800 people.