Tonight, I was thrilled to be going to Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, at Sadler's Wells, with Up in the Cheap Seats. He's a fantastic choreographer, but I'd never before gotten around to seeing this version. Sold out for today a while ago.
Happily, with Sadler's Wells, I can walk - and I did, a brisk trot up the hill in the cold. It was actually quite pleasant to walk off last night's excesses. We were to meet in the Second Circle Bar - we were all sat up there. And what good exercise those stairs are! When I reached that level, funnily enough, they were sat at two separate tables, on separate sides - I decided to sit at the less-populated one. :-) Seems they hadn't seen each other at first - anyway, we were a large group tonight and needed some extra space. Not that we ended up meeting everyone, but that's pretty standard, with people changing their minds about coming, or coming late, or whatever.
With a little time to spare, we headed in.
Now seriously, would you call this a restricted-view seat? Yes, that safety rail cuts across a little iddy bit of the stage, but it obstructs nothing. Also, there was no-one directly in front of me, nor could there be - L30, 31, and 32 are at the edge of the row on their own, and right over the entrance door. Oh, and right at the edge as I was, in L32, there was no-one behind me either, so I was free to lean forward on that partition in front of us if I wanted. And I had tons of space for my things in the corner. Yes, seats in this small section are definitely my preferred seating here.. as opposed to the fellow in the front row who found his view severely restricted by the side balcony, or the folks in the middle of the auditorium, who found themselves behind a snuffling schoolboy for the first half (they gave him tissues after the interval, which cleared that right up). Really, I was blessed.
The swan on the screen performs a slow motion flight as the overture plays - a lovely touch. And then we're into the initial court scene. Boy though, this is - in typical Matthew Bourne fashion - very different from the classic version. Gone is stiff and staid court life - well, not completely. But it's brought bang up to date, with the Royal Couple shown visiting various sites, in each of which they pull ropes or unveil statues, and are greeted by cheering crowds behind a rope barrier. He has great fun with this bit, having several different things happen at once, so you hardly know where to look.
The absolute comic joy of most of the show is the blonde bimbo who graces the prince's arm. Oh, she's absolutely perfect, preening and prancing around the stage in an ultra-short outfit. You can easily identify her by these characteristics throughout. The scene where she joins the Royal Family to watch a ballet is just priceless, where she makes all kinds of faux pas - like having her mobile go off during the performance - and answering it!
What a contrast, then, when we meet the (male) swans. Not the delicate, floaty creatures of the classic ballet here. Oh no. These swans quite literally bite. Instead of tutus, they have feathery trousers - and they're quite aggressive, hissing and stamping. So, it seems our Prince falls in love with the lead "white" swan, at the lake, one night..
At the interval, I treated myself to an excellent, if overpriced ice cream - honestly, no reflection whatsoever on the performance, but I could hardly keep my eyes open, last night was such a late one. That seems to have done the trick, and I was much better able to stay awake in the second half. Mind you, there was more action.. a fantastic scene sees the black swan, now in a regular - black - suit, make the most spectacular entrance at a royal party, tiptoeing cautiously along the terrace railing before jumping quite dramatically inside. Where he proceeds to seduce every woman in sight.
Things come to a dramatic head, and our hapless - and jealous - Prince ends up in what looks like a mental institution. Where he has what seems to be a fevered dream, in which the swans come to him. However, the other swans seem to disapprove of their leader's affection for the Prince, finally turning on him in a most dramatic, surreal, visceral, and moving final scene.
I'm an incorrigible fan of Matthew Bourne - far as I'm concerned, he can do no wrong, and this is no exception. It's completely original, it's hilarious, it's moving - with the original score, he's completely reimagined the dance itself. Oh yay! so glad I came. Very highly recommended - runs till the 27th of next month, so you do have time, but booking is highly recommended - most performances are already sold out. The only availability for this month at time of writing is for the matinee this Saturday, or the evening performance on Boxing Day. Next month, all matinees are sold out, and evening performances are available on selected days..
That was probably my last Meetup of the year - more anon. Went out with a bang, though. A cold, but downhill, walk back. This weekend, I'm back to Ireland again. And on Monday, the Crick Crack Club is performing Gilgamesh, at Soho Theatre. With Ben Haggerty in the spotlight, this will be a treat! Sold out, of course - you have to book these things early. Last of the year. He's doing it again on the 10th of February, at the British Museum. Meeting Helen for a meal beforehand, once I get out of my work meeting!
Happily, with Sadler's Wells, I can walk - and I did, a brisk trot up the hill in the cold. It was actually quite pleasant to walk off last night's excesses. We were to meet in the Second Circle Bar - we were all sat up there. And what good exercise those stairs are! When I reached that level, funnily enough, they were sat at two separate tables, on separate sides - I decided to sit at the less-populated one. :-) Seems they hadn't seen each other at first - anyway, we were a large group tonight and needed some extra space. Not that we ended up meeting everyone, but that's pretty standard, with people changing their minds about coming, or coming late, or whatever.
With a little time to spare, we headed in.
Now seriously, would you call this a restricted-view seat? Yes, that safety rail cuts across a little iddy bit of the stage, but it obstructs nothing. Also, there was no-one directly in front of me, nor could there be - L30, 31, and 32 are at the edge of the row on their own, and right over the entrance door. Oh, and right at the edge as I was, in L32, there was no-one behind me either, so I was free to lean forward on that partition in front of us if I wanted. And I had tons of space for my things in the corner. Yes, seats in this small section are definitely my preferred seating here.. as opposed to the fellow in the front row who found his view severely restricted by the side balcony, or the folks in the middle of the auditorium, who found themselves behind a snuffling schoolboy for the first half (they gave him tissues after the interval, which cleared that right up). Really, I was blessed.
The swan on the screen performs a slow motion flight as the overture plays - a lovely touch. And then we're into the initial court scene. Boy though, this is - in typical Matthew Bourne fashion - very different from the classic version. Gone is stiff and staid court life - well, not completely. But it's brought bang up to date, with the Royal Couple shown visiting various sites, in each of which they pull ropes or unveil statues, and are greeted by cheering crowds behind a rope barrier. He has great fun with this bit, having several different things happen at once, so you hardly know where to look.
The absolute comic joy of most of the show is the blonde bimbo who graces the prince's arm. Oh, she's absolutely perfect, preening and prancing around the stage in an ultra-short outfit. You can easily identify her by these characteristics throughout. The scene where she joins the Royal Family to watch a ballet is just priceless, where she makes all kinds of faux pas - like having her mobile go off during the performance - and answering it!
What a contrast, then, when we meet the (male) swans. Not the delicate, floaty creatures of the classic ballet here. Oh no. These swans quite literally bite. Instead of tutus, they have feathery trousers - and they're quite aggressive, hissing and stamping. So, it seems our Prince falls in love with the lead "white" swan, at the lake, one night..
At the interval, I treated myself to an excellent, if overpriced ice cream - honestly, no reflection whatsoever on the performance, but I could hardly keep my eyes open, last night was such a late one. That seems to have done the trick, and I was much better able to stay awake in the second half. Mind you, there was more action.. a fantastic scene sees the black swan, now in a regular - black - suit, make the most spectacular entrance at a royal party, tiptoeing cautiously along the terrace railing before jumping quite dramatically inside. Where he proceeds to seduce every woman in sight.
Things come to a dramatic head, and our hapless - and jealous - Prince ends up in what looks like a mental institution. Where he has what seems to be a fevered dream, in which the swans come to him. However, the other swans seem to disapprove of their leader's affection for the Prince, finally turning on him in a most dramatic, surreal, visceral, and moving final scene.
I'm an incorrigible fan of Matthew Bourne - far as I'm concerned, he can do no wrong, and this is no exception. It's completely original, it's hilarious, it's moving - with the original score, he's completely reimagined the dance itself. Oh yay! so glad I came. Very highly recommended - runs till the 27th of next month, so you do have time, but booking is highly recommended - most performances are already sold out. The only availability for this month at time of writing is for the matinee this Saturday, or the evening performance on Boxing Day. Next month, all matinees are sold out, and evening performances are available on selected days..
That was probably my last Meetup of the year - more anon. Went out with a bang, though. A cold, but downhill, walk back. This weekend, I'm back to Ireland again. And on Monday, the Crick Crack Club is performing Gilgamesh, at Soho Theatre. With Ben Haggerty in the spotlight, this will be a treat! Sold out, of course - you have to book these things early. Last of the year. He's doing it again on the 10th of February, at the British Museum. Meeting Helen for a meal beforehand, once I get out of my work meeting!
No comments:
Post a Comment