Synopsis
Programme
Impressions/Performances
This is a very different Swan Lake to the accustomed traditional version, more radical even than Matthew Bourne's all-male version - with which it shares a theme of confused sexuality leading to tragic consequences. This story of tangled love is a strong one, worthy of a ballet in it's own right, but unfortunately the whole Swan Lake connection does feel as though it's been roughly hammered into it with a rather large mallet - the proverbial square peg mashed into a round hole. The choreography is likewise very different, fitting in with the changed characters and new situations. Some whole segments of the original survive more, most notably the dance of the cygnets which remains wholly true to the original choreography, but the rest is much changed with lots of David Nixon's trademark lifts, sounds, and novel theatrical touches. As for the music, purists might be aghast that whole chunks of the ballet score have been excised and replaced by romantic pieces from Tchaikovsky's other works. The chosen pieces do fit in extremely well however, without any hint of discord so there any evident sense of when the music departs from or returns to Tchaikovsky's intended score.
In this Swan Lake Odilia, the heartless temptress in the original story, becomes a somewhat tragic figure whilst Odette, by contrast, becomes strangely neutral. Odilia is an innocent victim of circumstances, finding herself third in the affections of the man she loves behind an insubstantial apparition and his male best friend. Odette meanwhile is simply an ethereal spirit of the lake, not a victim of an evil enchantment and so loses the essential tragedy of her own character. The changes to these essential characters are what drive most of the choreographic changes and in so doing create was is in my mind the biggest shortcoming of this Swan Lake - leaving it without any equivalent of the scene in the traditional version where Odile dances with wild, seductive abandon at Siegfrieds birthday - surely the most stirring moment in any ballet.
That much said, however, Nixon's choreography is, as usual, excellent and full of romanticism, and is danced ardently and with unswerving conviction by his talented cast. Tobias Batley made an impressive Anthony, give a tangible edge to his characters pensive sadness as well as performing his moves with assurance and lifting his partners with seemingly effortless ease. Georgina May is every inch the artless young woman who finds herself caught up in events she cannot control and does not begin to understand. Her dancing was imbued with a kind of innocent playfulness that makes her character all the more poignant when she is cruelly rejected. Martha Leebolt makes a tall, graceful and ethereal Odette, resplendent in her white costume. Her pas de deux's with Tobias (Anthony) are touchingly romantic, much closer and more intimate than those between Anthoy and Odilia.
Visually, this production is a real treat. The sets are superb and contribute tellingly to the action. At the lakeside we have a raised jetty extending beyond a bed of reeds, which cleverly mask the dancers in the swimming scene so that we see only their arm movements and their upper bodies as they launch themselves out of the water. Set in 1912, the costumes are characterised by white flannel trousers for the men and colourful Edwardian style gowns for the girls, whilst the swans remain all white but exchange the traditional flared tutu's for petal shaped skirts.
Verdict
A very different swan lake with great passion and fabulous choreography.