| The Red Shoes | |
|---|---|
| Choreographer | Matthew Bourne |
| Music | Bernard Herrman |
| Based on | The1948 film byMichael Powell andEmeric Pressburger and the1845 fairy tale byHans Christian Andersen |
| Premiere | November 21, 2016 (2016-11-21) Theatre Royal, Plymouth |
| Original ballet company | New Adventures |
The Red Shoes is aballet choreographed byMatthew Bourne using the music ofBernard Herrmann (1911–1975). It is based broadly on the 1948 filmThe Red Shoes byMichael Powell andEmeric Pressburger. The set and costume designs are byLez Brotherston. The ballet was premiered on 21 November 2016 at theTheatre Royal, Plymouth by Bourne's ballet company,New Adventures.[1]
Bourne has said that "the image of the red shoes that, once put on, will not allow the wearer to stop dancing has long been a potent one for creative minds, from Powell and Pressburger toKate Bush toEmma Rice... I have loved the film since I was a teenager...My challenge has been to capture some of that surreal, sensuous quality [of the film] within the more natural theatre setting."[2]
The production uses music written by Herrmann from a variety of his film scores, including those forThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir,Fahrenheit 451,Hangover Square, andCitizen Kane. It does not include any of the music written byBrian Easdale for the original 1948 film score.[3][4] Herrmann's music wasreorchestrated for the ballet by Terry Davies for an ensemble ofstrings, pianos, harp, percussion and electronic keyboards.[5] Brotherston's designs include the use of a stage setproscenium arch which can rotate to indicate whether the theatre-based scenes are taking place on-stage or off-stage.[4]
The ballet is set in London,Monte Carlo andVillefranche-sur-Mer in the period of the late 1940s to early 1950s. The ballerina Victoria Page is talent-spotted by the ballet impresario Boris Lermontov, who is based in Monte Carlo. He commissions the composer Julian Craster to compose a ballet based onHans Christian Andersen's tale,The Red Shoes. Victoria takes the lead in the ballet, and she and Craster fall in love. Victoria has to choose between her love and her career. Having returned to London to be with Craster, she ekes out a career dancing in a music hall. The chance of dancing for Lermontov again lures her to return to his ballet company to dance once more inThe Red Shoes. Craster pursues her to persuade her to return to him. In her confusion and indecision, fleeing from Lermontov she falls beneath an oncoming train and is killed.[6]
The ballet made its world premiere at theTheatre Royal, Plymouth on 21 November 2016, prior to an eight-week Christmas season at theSadler's Wells Theatre inLondon before embarking on a UK tour.
The ballet made its US premiere at theAhmanson Theatre,Los Angeles on 15 September 2017 before playing seasons atThe Kennedy Center inWashington DC,Blumenthal Performing Arts inCharlotte, andCity Center,New York.
The ballet returned toSadler's Wells Theatre for the 2019 Christmas season and will return for the 2025 Christmas season before embarking on another UK tour.
Critical response to the premiere was positive.The Observer reported that it was "a feast for the eye, with every scene animated by sharp detail and witty characterisation...It’s all very artfully composed, and Bourne choreographs with the lightest of touches, threading in references to Hollywood movies andDiaghilev-era ballets as he goes."[7]The Stage commented that "This is fine work. If one or two of the events and relationships are too fleeting to register they will develop over time. And time is what Bourne has because like all hand-crafted footwear, The Red Shoes is built to last....[it] is Matthew Bourne's finest achievement to date."[8]
For his work onThe Red Shoes, Bourne won the award of Best Theatre Choreographer and the show itself won Best Entertainment at the 2017Olivier Awards.[9]
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