Interview with choreographer matthew bourne stage the. Music by pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky choreography by matthew bourne new victoria theatre, woking, and touring 2008 share. But matthew bourne has created a masterpiece of its own, almost guaranteed to be a success since it is built round the same wonderful tchaikovsky music that audiences love. Matthew bournes the nutcracker by sophie b on prezi. The choreographer says he has built his career in ballet by. Matthew bournes version was originally created to be performed as part of the centenary celebrations in 1992, but has. Matthew bournes nutcracker was at the lowry last week and my friend and i went to the matinee on wednesday. It may not be a conventional ballet i love this production of nutcracker. Meanwhile, the will of dans grandparents is the only proof that the town rightfully. Two cupids encounter clara at the frozen lake and present her with a beautiful, colourful, party dress. Its hard to believe this nutcracker is 19 years old, says judith mackrell. Clara is in an orphanage, the sugar plum fairy is a spoilt little girl princess sugar and sweetieland is a place where greed is. One of his earliest pieces of choreography, matthew bourne s nutcracker is also one of his most charming and imaginative. The nutcracker was first performed on the 18th december 1892 at the imperial mariinsky theatre in st petersburg.
Dec 19, 2004 choreographerlibrettist matthew bourne swan lake, car man has taken tchaikovsky s traditional christmas chestnut and placed it firmly inside an artistic nutcracker of his own, squeezing and. Sadlers wells, london ec1, until 20 jan, then touring bournes nutcracker revival is a ravishing visual treat. All the kids that see it love it because its such good fun, but its multilayered and the majority of people who come to see it are adult. Matthew bournes version shakes up the scenario by setting the ballet in an orphanage. Stage activity resources starter introduction to dance terminology resource 1 main 1 fingerprints of matthew bourne s style use the fingerprints given from mark scheme and then break these down further. In the british museum is a work by daniel bourne, dated 1763, having a design of a waggon with four wheels in which the front axletree is very short, so that the track outside the front wheels is made to correspond with the inside of the hind wheels, and they are made like four garden rollers, each 15 inches wide, so that as the waggon moved 5. Its the first of his revised classic ballets, made. A christmas classic, the nutcracker, scored by tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by marius petipa and lev ivanov, was first performed in russia in 1892, with numerous versions and adaptations enchanting audiences across the globe ever since. Bbc beds, herts and bucks theatre ellys nutcracker. The classic nutcracker, so english national ballet says, is about right. Elly farrar went to see matthew bournes nutcracker. Nov 19, 2002 t en years ago, matthew bourne was a smalltime choreographer running his company, adventures in motion pictures, out of the back of a minibus. One of the most popular dance productions ever staged in the uk, matthew bourne s nutcracker.
London mary stuart, 2018 london matthew bournes highland fling, 2005 london, 2005 uk tour matthew bournes nutcracker. She returns to the orphanage, but finds that her true prince had been there all along as they escape the oppressive establishment together. Clara is helped in her quest for true love and nutcracker by the cupids. The choreography is filled with sly, loving references to ballets by. With my modern dance background, im a latecomer to the nutcracker, and came to it backtofront. The longawaited return of new adventures nutcracker. As well as traditional outings, there have been hiphop, lgbt and jewish versions and, my own personal favourite, matthew bournes dickensian orphanage with its pyjamaclad cupids and cast of very wicked sweets check out the exceedingly sticky knickerbocker glory. Bbc beds, herts and bucks theatre interview with matthew. He was also known for his choreography for popular revivals of classic musicals. Toccata and fugue in d minor, was used to underscore a series of abstract images. Matthew bournes new radical reimagining of tchaikovskys.
Clara is in an orphanage, the sugar plum fairy is a spoilt little girl princess. Promising a fresh serving of the traditional christmas far, matthew bourne s nutcracker. Choreography by matthew bourne new victoria theatre, woking, and touring 2008 share. The nutcracker sets the stage alight in matthew bournes rendition of one of the most popular ballets of all time. The project gutenberg ebook of the history of coaches, by. This production is absolutely a refreshing twist on a timeless christmas tradition. Western european stages december, 2004 the ravishing music and christmas setting of tchaikovskys the nutcracker have made it a theatrical staple of the holiday season, and it is hardly surprising that londoners in 2003 could choose among three different major productions of this familiar classic. I had my breath quite taken away by british choreographer matthew bournes nutcracker which is showing at the churchill theatre, bromley this week prior to opening at sadlers wells where it will stay until 25th january 2003. Dance style contemporary and balletic exaggerated but realistic use of gestures. Most disagree the action peters out in the first half, displaced by pure spectacle. He still recovering from the death of his grandmother, and divorce of his father he lived with his mother in a small town. They are particularly relevant to this production, which casts adult performers as a group of very needy young orphans. I had my breath quite taken away by british choreographer matthew bourne s nutcracker which is showing at the churchill theatre, bromley this week prior to opening at sadler s wells where it will stay until 25th january 2003.
The next selection, tschiakovskys nutcracker suite, is performed by dancing woodsprites, mushrooms, flowers, goldfish, thistles, milkweeds and frost fairies. Characters the story the humbug bouncer act one who becomes. Matthew bourne, was born in hackney, london he went to william fitt and sir george monoux school in walthamstow, london. Matthew bourne s contemporary remake of the nutcracker is returning to sadler s wells theatre to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The nutcracker is traditionally a celebration of sweetness both the sentimental and saccharine kind and one of the many joys of matthew bournes reinvention of the ballet is its allout. Buy matthew bournes nutcracker dvd 2003 2001 by matthew bourne from amazons movies store. The opening scene in the childrens home is hard hitting and moving. Matthew bournes theatrical production reimagines the emeric pressburgermichael powell film as a wordless evening of movement theater with mixed results. I adore the snowflakes skaters with its patineurs overtones. Bbc beds, herts and bucks theatre ettas major role.
The long road home 1969 haven of peace 1970 janie 1974 highland fling 1964 cupids and coronets 1974 the happy. Unafraid of camp or controversy, his company, new adventures, are reviving their gloriously irreverent interpretation of the. Sugar and the nutcracker are married and clara loses her hero to her enemy, before. And what a bottomless well of seasonal goodwill nutcracker. Photo by simon annand ive seen several versions of the nutcracker generally perfect, pretty, sparkly affairs but it comes as no surprise that awardwinning choreographer bourne, who takes dance to a new dimension, goes one step further in his take on the classic ballet. First presented in the uk in 1997, matthew bournes production of cinderella has been revised and designed since, and is now playing at sadlers wells for the christmas season before touring nationally in spring and summer 2018. This delicious theatrical feast has familysized helpings of matthew bourne s trademark wit, pathos and magical fantasy. That is, i saw some updates matthew bournes for adventures in motion pictures, the video of mark morriss the hard nut, and peter wrights production for the birmingham royal ballet before anything that closely follows petipas libretto ben stevensons version for english national. Yuhui choe and alexander campbell dance princess florine and the bluebird in act iii of the sleeping beauty, the royal ballet 201112. Matthew bournes nutcracker, sadlers wells, london the. Clara is, of course, one of the orphans and the nutcracker boy is a fellow orphan on whom she has a young girls crush. Queen candy matthew bourne s nutcracker is now considered to be a classic and is celebrating its 23rd anniversary the gobstoppers and prince bon bon the marshmallows become. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Feeling tired of the same old holidays, same old gift giving, and same old nutcracker. Matthew bourne caused a sensation when he took the wellknown and wellloved ballet swan lake and transferred it into something erotic, slightly sinister and yet much closer to a kind of reality than the original ethereal version. Matthew bournes nutcracker dvd 2003 2001 by matthew bourne. May 01, 2002 all the kids that see it love it because its such good fun, but its multilayered and the majority of people who come to see it are adult. Matthew bournes radical and clever reworking of tchaikovskys greatest ballet suffers from a surfeit of sound. Well its about growing up and its about first love and these are themes we can all relate to.
Clara tries to intervene but is unable to attract the nutcracker s attention. Bournes performers must be able to successfully portray these scenes which audiences love due to familiarity in order to create. Bournes notable works included swan lake, play without words, my fair lady, the red shoes, and mary poppins. The story of clara, two mariinsky nutcrackers 2008 and 2012 respectively, and the san francisco ballet s the nutcracker. Bournes reinterpretation of the tchaikovsky ballet is vibrant, expressive and exquisitely designed. Matthew bourne, british choreographer and dancer noted for his uniquely updated interpretations of traditional ballet repertoire. This box of treats is crammed full of his trademark saucy humour, inventiveness and a childlike sense of fun. Dec 16, 2003 matthew bournes nutcracker is as sweet and camp as christmas itself marius petipa, the nutcracker s original choreographer, apparently considered its libretto tres bon. Dec 15, 2011 matthew bourne famous for the billy elliotfeatured allmale swan lake only turned to dance professionally at 22 and, without a history of classical ballet training, he claims to get much of his imagery from film. His reinventions of classical ballets have broken down barriers. But matthew bourne has created a masterpiece of its own, almost guaranteed to be a success since it is built round the same wonderful tchaikovsky music that audiences. Matthew bourne s version shakes up the scenario by setting the ballet in an orphanage.
It can be strange to come back to a longrunning show. Matthew bournes dickensian orphanage with its pyjamaclad cupids and cast of very wicked sweets check out the exceedingly sticky knickerbocker glory. As billy elliot star liam mower makes his longawaited return to the west end this christmas in matthew bournes production, nutcracker. Even the cupids best efforts firing arrow after arrow have no effect.
This nutcracker is the icing on the christmas cake. Dec 01, 2002 given that the nutcracker is often the first, sometimes only, dance work many people see, a single production can have a lot riding on it. Review pf matthew bourmes nutcracker at birmingham hippodrome. Mar 26, 2012 matthew bournes nutcracker was at the lowry last week and my friend and i went to the matinee on wednesday. A gothic romance new york city center october 23 november 3, 20 matthew bourne, who has changed classical ballet into sheeroften outrageous, often deliciousentertainment, has just brought to new york the last of his three works based on the glowing inheritance from the nineteenth century. Then nicholas payne asked him to choreograph a new. My very first fulllength production dates from 1992 and remains the most singular interpretation of tchaikovskys masterpiece, back in 2020 to delight a new generation of theatre and dance fans. The nutcracker is traditionally a celebration of sweetness both the sentimental and saccharine kind and one of the many joys of matthew bourne s reinvention of the ballet is its allout. Matthew bournes ballet shaped by film and theatre bbc news.
Following the soldout and critical success of the red shoes, new adventures return to sadlers wells this christmas with one of our most popular and beloved productions, matthew bournes cinderella a thrilling and evocative love story set in london during the second world war, which forms part of the companys 30th anniversary celebrations. From the ages of 14 to 16 he was an avid autograph hunter, attending most west end opening nights and waiting outside stage doors and top london hotels. Etta murfitt not only plays the role of clara in matthew bourne s nutcracker, she is an associate director for his new adventures production company and therefore for this show as well. The morphing of the nutcracker from stumbling, plastic headed thing, into proud, striding adonis, symbolises claras wish to transform her life.
Here the story doesnt open in the opulent home of a wealthy family, with wellheeled guests arriving in their finery to be entertained on christmas eve. Since 1991, irvine barclay theatre has been a home to some of the finest dance in the. Matthew bourne created this new scenario with martin duncan to rework the traditional christmas story. Bourne s nutcrackerwithatwist still follows the theme of growing up and first love a coming of. Demimonde airheads have them but not clara, even though two cupids in. A holiday mainstay gains an exclamation point and more in matthew bourne s nutcracker. Moving the christmas party from a comfortable middleclass home to a. The ballet was inspired by the nutcracker and the mouse king, published in 1815 by the german author e. This time the rats have a king, sweets can dance and snowflakes are littering the stages its nutcracker season of all the shows on offer this christmas season, matthew bournes nutcracker. Bourne s reinterpretation of the tchaikovsky ballet is vibrant, expressive and exquisitely designed. Underneath the jokes, however, bournes love for the nutcracker and the classic tradition is clear.
Themes first love in all versions of the nutcracker clara falls in love. Choreographer matthew bourne dance company new adventures. Dec 15, 2011 the nutcracker is traditionally a celebration of sweetness both the sentimental and saccharine kind and one of the many joys of matthew bournes reinvention of the ballet is its allout. Fritz and sugar are the dross awful spoilt children who terrorise the other children. Well if you are, matthew bournes new radical reimagining of tchaikovskys classic holiday perennial, the nutcracker. This time the rats have a king, sweets can dance and snowflakes are littering the stages its nutcracker season. He would wait in front of the top london hotels and outside the stage doors of west end opening nights to collect the autographs from the famous ones. A large cast fill the stage with vivacity and endless enthusiasm, and not a moment of this production ever feels dull or tired matthew bourne s nutcracker may be twenty years old, and ten years past it s last major revision, but it still manages to feel as fresh as ever. Its score was composed by pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky and the performance choreographed by marius petipa and lev ivanov, three of russias greatest artists of their era. His warmth, cheeky humour, and love for musical comedy and hollywood movies is well known, and it shines through. A liveactionanimated fantasy film dan is a shy 8yearold boy with autism who cant seem filling in with the other, and as a result, ends up getting taken advantage of by everyone. Discover the many roles in tchaikovskys the nutcracker. Rest assured that if matthew bourne is involved, you are in for a rare treat and will see something you will remember forever.
He found the story difficult to follow for children and so tried to make something for the whole family, about a little girl who starts with nothing, grows up experiencing her first love, and who eventually gets her man something that most people can relate to. Keep this tab open and open a new tab to for the best experience. She finally sneaks in, only to see sugar and the nutcracker married despite her and the cupids best efforts. Clara tries to intervene but is unable to attract the nutcrackers attention.
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