The Red Shoes dance production. Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne in 2019 at Sadler’s Wells in London. Music by Bernard Herrmann orchestrated by Terry Davies. Stars Ashley Shaw (Victoria Page), Adam Cooper (Boris Lermontov), Dominic North (Julian Craster), Liam Mower (Ivan Boleslawsky), Michela Meazza (Irina Boronskaya), and Glenn Graham (Grisha Ljubov). Other dancers from New Adventures are: Stephanie Billers, Ben Brown, João Carolino, Reece Causton, Harrison Dowzell, Jackson Fisch, Rose Goddard, Bryony Harrison, Daisy May Kemp, Kate Lyons, and Danny Reubens. Brett Morris conducts the New Adventures Orchestra. Set and costume design by Lez Brotherston; lighting design by Paule Constable; sound design by Paul Groothuis; projection design by Duncan McLean; associate artistic director was Etta Murfitt; assistant choreography by Neil Westmoreland; associate lighting director was Rob Casey. Directed for TV by Ross MacGibbon. Released 2021, disc has LPCM stereo sound. Grade: A
The Red Shoes story from Hans Christian Anderson is about a poor girl whose only joy was a pair of red shoes that let her dance. She was shamed when she wore the shoes to a funeral and to church. But an angel took her to heaven, where nobody cared about the color of her shoes. The folk story inspired The Red Shoes movie in 1948, and the movie inspired Matthew's Bourne’s 2019 adaptation. If you know the movie well, you have a head start in understanding Bourne's version. I'll assume, however, that you don't know the movie. At the end I'll give you a list of the Chapters on Bourne's recording with time stamps, which is not clearly explained in the keepcase info.
Bourne’s recording starts with credits and identification of the main characters. In Chapter 3, the story begins with a 4-minute dance within the dance (in front of a red curtain) which is called Countess Tamara’s Dilemma. Below left you see the beginning of this skit and its ending with some gun play. This skit is similar to the overture to an opera. It presents a theme of two men fighting over a woman. But that’s the only connection it has to the drama that follows. The confusing thing is that the dancers in the skit are stars who will appear later in the main libretto. G’rrr.
The scene below is from Chapter 4 called Lady Nelson’s Soirée. This is the beginning of the actual libretto of Bourne’s The Red Shoe. Lady Nelson is a wealthy aristocrat and patron of the arts. She is holding the hand of her niece, Victoria Page (Ashley Shaw). Victoria belongs to that most pathetic class of people on earth: she is an impoverished aristocrat. But her aunt has given her dancing lessons, and now Victoria is looking for work. Lady Nelson believes in Victoria’s talent:
Lady Nelson is introducing Victoria to Boris Lermontov (Adam Cooper), the famous ballet impresario. Boris is modeled, of course, after Sergei Diaghilev of Ballet Russes fame:
Boris is furious—he has been tricked into an informal audition. But Victoria wins him over with her talent:
Soon Victoria is in Boris’ corps and taking classes at Covent Garden in London! The ballet master is Grisha Ljubov (Glenn Graham) in high-waist pants:
Victoria learns fast in this company of great dancers. She gets her lucky break when the prima ballerina Irina Boronskaya (Michela Meazza ) breaks a bone! Victoria is on her way to stardom:
Boris also booked the opera house in Monte Carlo. This gives Matthew Bourne opportunity in Chapter 6 to do a ballet beach ball scene. These were all the rage back in the early 20th century, so here you have one. This has, of course, nothing to do with the plot of The Red Shoes:
This was an era when inappropriate relationships flourished in the arts. Boris (unlike Diaghilev) was interested in pretty girls. Now—Oh dear!—he has his eye on Victoria!
Victoria is skating near the edge. She already has a (more appropriate) relationship with the ballet company pianist and composer Julian Craster (Dominic North). We saw Craster playing piano for Victoria’s audition at Lady Neson’s palace. We see him again left below sitting on the floor working on Boris’ latest project, a ballet called The Red Shoes. Craster is usually in the background—Boris doesn’t know that he and Victoria are in love. Below right, Boris offers Victoria the spotlight that will make her famous. Now Victoria is faced with her own dilemma like the opening skit: art or heart!
Chapter 9 is the new The Red Shoes show. If you’ve seen the movie, you know this scene in the flim is a famous riot of technicolor art. Bourne twists this around and does his The Red Shoes against a background of black and white!
Bourne harks back to Andersen. Below left is a righteous young man inspired by the angel in the folktale. The devil (standing for the little girl’s temptation to dance) is played by Grisha offering red shoes:
Now our damsel is swept off her feet in her struggle between art (the devil) or heart (the virtuous youth):
Just like the girl in the folktale, Victoria dances herself into the firmament:
Leaving the virtuous youth wondering what could have been. He finds solace in priesthood:
Boris’ production is a huge success. But now Boris discovers that Victoria is in love with the piano player!
It’s the end of the season in Monte Carlo. The cast has a big party. This gives Bourne opportunity to show every fun social dancing trick known to him or any of his dancers!
Below left, Julian and Victoria are out now that they are a couple. Boris fires Julian. Victoria leaves the company with Julian. Heart has won out—at least for now:
Finding other work is tough. Victoria and Julian wind up in a cheap vaudeville act in London:
Even the ventriloquist’s dummy wants to feel Victoria:
Now art overrules heart. Victoria returns to Boris:
But being in the old company again doesn’t satisfy for long:
How the hell does a train suddenly appear on stage? Well, in the movie, train tracks run past Boris’ mansion. Consumed by the war between art and heart, Victoria finds herself at the wrong place at the wrong time. Was this an accident or a suicide? Cast your vote.
The Red Shoes is Bourne’s most elaborate work ever. Most critics loved the non-stop dancing. A few critics complained that even though this is a story about classically trained ballet artists, there was little on-point dancing. Such comments are misplaced. The movie was a Hollywood drama with little actual dancing. Bourne’s show is crammed-packed full of action—but most of it is traditional flat-shoe theater show work. Bourne’s women aren’t trained to do stay long on-point.
Will there ever be a classical ballet production inspired by the story of The Red Shoes? Probably not since classical ballet requires classical-quality music. The music for Bourne’s show is a pastiche of movie from Bernard Hermann. So does Bourne’s The Red Shoes belong on this website, which does not cover movie music or musicals? Here’s my answer: if Sadler’s Wells mounts it, I’ll cover.
Matthew Bourne is a unique talent who has managed against all odds to build a successful dance company by taking down more pompous artworks. And he shows respect for folks dealing with ABCXYZ issues. As always with Matthew, PQ, SQ, and production values are good. Let’s don’t worry about technicalities of video content. Grade: A
Here’s an official clip from New Adventures—somehow Ross MacGibbon’s file on the disc looks better than what you see here:
And here are the chapters:
Act 1
Chapters 1 & 2: Opening credits
Chapter 3. 2:02 to 6:11. Countess Tamara’s Dilemma
Chapter 4. 6:11 to 12:14. Lady Nelson’s Soirée
Chapter 5. 12:14 to 27:25. Covent Garden
Chapter 6. 27:25 to 31:38. Ballon de Plage or Beach Party
Chapter 7. 31:38 to 37:44. Lermontov’s Mansion with creation of The Red Shoes
Chapter 8. 37:44 to 1: 00: 36. The Red Shoes Ballet
Act 2
Chapter 10. 1: 00: 36 to 1:09:13. End of Season Party
Chapter 11. 1:09:13 to 1:12:00. Concerto Macabre (Golden Ram)
Chapter 12. 1:12:00 to 1:18:01. Vaudeville Life in London
Chapter 13. 1:18:01 to 1:19:50. Lermantov Dreams of Victoria
Chapter 14. 1:19:50 to 1:26:22. Cheap Digs. Victoria Dreams of Lermontav
Chapter 15. 1:26:22 to end. Victoria’s Sad End
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