Matthew Bourne does it again
Dec. 9th, 2011 10:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearTonight, I took myself to see Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker.
It defied expectations, since there was not a nutcracker in sight. Instead, I was treated to an entirely original story - mistreated orphans escaped to Sweetieland, where there ensued much licking - of the set, the costumes, themselves and each other. By far the most enjoyment seemed to be taken by those licking the 'hero' (particularly the other male dancers), and I can't say I blamed them - I wouldn't have minded a taste myself! I was at a loss as to why the heroine wanted him, though - after his initial, actually quite disturbing entrance, he almost immediately buggered off with the nasty sparkly girl and spent the entirety of the second half kissing her, while the heroine moped about on the sidelines.
Still, inexplicable plot points and indiscriminate licking aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The familiar music was offset by the new scenes and characters, and the switch from monochrome to vibrant colour after the interval was very effective. I think I liked the first half, with its dreary grey better, though - somehow, the corps had a lot more individual character when they were all dressed the same. As is always the case with Matthew Bourne ballets, there was so much going on in the periphery that it was difficult to know where to look. After the distribution of the toys, I missed the whole of the heroine's first dance with her doll because I was watching my two favourites of the orphans acting out a fantastical drama with their teddy bears off in the corner!
Bourne doesn't tend to choreograph spectacular displays of individual talent, the way most ballets do - none of the dancing looked very hard or particularly impressive, but it was performed with such enthusiasm and such vivacity, that it completely transported me, and the cast thoroughly deserved every clap of the thunderous applause at the end.
An excellent start to the Christmas period - and a high standard set by my first of five theatre trips over the next 12 days. My waitress at Jamie's Italian up the road (awesome squid, by the way) is going to see it as her first ever trip to the ballet on Sunday, and I don't think she'll be disappointed.
It defied expectations, since there was not a nutcracker in sight. Instead, I was treated to an entirely original story - mistreated orphans escaped to Sweetieland, where there ensued much licking - of the set, the costumes, themselves and each other. By far the most enjoyment seemed to be taken by those licking the 'hero' (particularly the other male dancers), and I can't say I blamed them - I wouldn't have minded a taste myself! I was at a loss as to why the heroine wanted him, though - after his initial, actually quite disturbing entrance, he almost immediately buggered off with the nasty sparkly girl and spent the entirety of the second half kissing her, while the heroine moped about on the sidelines.
Still, inexplicable plot points and indiscriminate licking aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The familiar music was offset by the new scenes and characters, and the switch from monochrome to vibrant colour after the interval was very effective. I think I liked the first half, with its dreary grey better, though - somehow, the corps had a lot more individual character when they were all dressed the same. As is always the case with Matthew Bourne ballets, there was so much going on in the periphery that it was difficult to know where to look. After the distribution of the toys, I missed the whole of the heroine's first dance with her doll because I was watching my two favourites of the orphans acting out a fantastical drama with their teddy bears off in the corner!
Bourne doesn't tend to choreograph spectacular displays of individual talent, the way most ballets do - none of the dancing looked very hard or particularly impressive, but it was performed with such enthusiasm and such vivacity, that it completely transported me, and the cast thoroughly deserved every clap of the thunderous applause at the end.
An excellent start to the Christmas period - and a high standard set by my first of five theatre trips over the next 12 days. My waitress at Jamie's Italian up the road (awesome squid, by the way) is going to see it as her first ever trip to the ballet on Sunday, and I don't think she'll be disappointed.
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Date: 2011-12-11 04:44 pm (UTC)Whoops, culture fail XD
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Date: 2011-12-11 10:23 pm (UTC)