Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes - Lowry, Salford


                     MATTHEW BOURNE’S THE RED SHOES

                     UNTIL SATURDAY AT LOWRY, SALFORD

                                Review by Natalie Anglesey

 
                                          

I remember as a child sitting in a cinema watching the Red Shoes, the award-winning film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale with music by Bernard Herrmann. It made a lasting impression on me which has stayed over the years. Now, at long last here’s your chance to see for yourselves this magical experience on stage at Lowry, Salford. 

The Academy Award-winning movie, The Red Shoes, captivated audiences and inspired generations of dancers with its powerful tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. The ballet is about the life of a beautiful, young dancer, Victoria Page. Her ambitions to become a star involves a fierce struggle between the two men in her life who inspire her passion.

                                       
 
In Mathew Bourne’s inspirational production, his cast reads like a Who’s Who of the Dance world including some of my own personal favourites. Playing the leading role of Victoria Page is the stunning Ashley Shaw, Dominic North, plays Julian Kraster and Andy Monaghan, is Boris Lermontov.  Michela Meazza, plays Irina Boronskaya, Will Bozier is Ivan Boleslawsky while Glenn Graham, plays Grischa Ljubov. I did warn you it's complicated! 

 Th rest of the cast supplied excellent support. They include Mark Austin, Tom Barnes Standing, the New Adventures Emerging Artist Isabella Chandler, Adam Davies, Cameron Flynn, Anna-Maria de Freitas, Christina Gibbs, Thomas Ireson, Rosanna Lindsey, Callum Mann, Daisy May Kemp, Jarrod McWilliams, Matthew Potulski, Molly Shaw-Downie, Kingston Taylor, Shakiera Ward and Daisy West. 


Matthew Bourne remarked: “I’m thrilled to announce that 11 of the original cast of The Red Shoes, which premiered in 2016, are returning for this 10th Anniversary production, performing the roles they created, possibly, for the last time. This is something that no New Adventures fan will want to miss! The Red Shoes was the culmination of a twenty-year ambition to bring Powell and Pressburger's seminal 1948 film to the stage. It was also, in many ways, a personal love letter to a life in theatre and dance.

This production was certainly a landmark event for New Adventures, becoming an instant classic and a beloved addition to their repertoire. I’m so happy to see it return this year, especially as our last tour in 2020 was sadly cut short by the pandemic and left many of our loyal audiences throughout the UK disappointed. So, welcome back to the Ballet Lermontov and to paraphrase the great impresario himself… ‘It's time to put on the red shoes, Vicky, and dance for us again....’'

                                      

A sell-out even before its world premiere season opened in 2016, Matthew Bourne’s triumphant adaptation of the legendary film went on to win Best Entertainment at the 2017 Olivier Awards, with Matthew winning the award for Best Theatre Choreographer. The show then returned for a national tour in 2019. 

Bourne’s magical double Olivier Award-winning production of the legendary Powell and Pressburger film is set to a score orchestrated by Terry Davies, featuring the mesmerizing music of golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, with sumptuous designs by Lez Brotherston (set and costumes), Paule Constable (lighting) and Paul Groothuis (sound). 

An intoxicating drama where life imitates art with fateful consequences, brought the house down with a tremendous standing ovation. The Red Shoes will dazzle your senses and break your heart. Fight to get a ticket.

THE RED SHOES is supported using public funds by Arts Council England. Recommended age 7+ Audio Described by Caroline Burn – Saturday 29 Nov at 2pm Touch Tour at 12.30









 









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Osmonds - A New Musical next year!

Image
The Osmond's new musical is coming to Manchester!  M y best friend was an avid Osmond fan in her teens and she still is. Personally I've had the pleasure of interviewing Donny Osmond for @BBCRadioManchester and I also became a fan!  It's that kind of unfailing dedication that the Osmonds have held on to over the past 50 plus years.Now Osmondmania is returning to Manchester with a musical by Jay Osmond which tells the story of the brothers from Utah who were in the spotlight as children and went on to sell over 100 million records gaining a huge army of fans. From their star residency on The  Andy Williams  Show, to the arrival of Donny and Marie, The Osmonds lived a remarkable life recording chart topping albums, selling out vast arena concerts and making record breaking TV shows - until one bad decision cost them everything. Directed by  Shaun Kerrison  and choreographed by Olivier Award winning  Bill Deamer , this brand new musical features a chart...
Read more

DEAR ENGLAND AT THE LOWRY, SALFORD - REVIEW BY NATALIE ANGLESEY

Image
Dear England at The Lowry, Salford Until   29 June 2025 Review by Natalie Anglesey Wow! That was my initial reaction on leaving the Lowry after seeing this stunning new touring production of James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play, Dear England, which packed out the Lowry in Salford. This highly anticipated staging of the National Theatre’s smash-hit production has a four-week run in Salford until 29 June.   Written by award-winning playwright James Graham (Punch, Young Vic; Sherwood, BBC One) and directed by the Almeida Theatre’s Artistic Director Rupert Goold (Patriots, Ink; Almeida Theatre/West End/Broadway), it’s a stark look behind the scenes at football politics.  Dear England tells the uplifting, at times heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring story of Gareth Southgate’s revolutionary tenure as England manager in this gripping examination of a nation and its game. This production, which won ‘Best New Play’ at the 2024 Olivier Awards, has been updated foll...
Read more

Natalie Anglesey Reviews this 5 star Matilda The Musical at the Palace Theatre.

Image
Natalie Anglesey reviews  THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL I’ve always been curious about the components of a successful musical - so every time I went to London, I’d try to get tickets to see The Royal Shakespeare Company ’s multi award-winning production of Matilda The Musical – but with no success. After far too long a delay, in which time it seems to have travelled the globe, this musical, at last, enjoys a 10-week run at Manchester’s Palace Theatre until 24 November 2018. According to my six –year old, it was worth the wait, particularly Paul Kieve’s magic! It was great to see a theatre packed full of children - with more of them than adults! They are after all the theatre audiences of the future. A word of warning the first act is rather long for little ones so make sure you do the toilet run before it starts! Inspired by Roald Dahl’s book, Matilda, her story is beloved by children everywhere. T his musical version remains true to t...
Read more