Swan Lake Tickets

Audiences are given a brand new opportunity to witness Matthew Bourne’s classic interpretation of “Swan Lake”, which drew huge crowds in the 1990s when it was first seen in the West End, as it appears for a new Christmas run.

It was a controversial production in its time, taking audiences by surprise as Bourne made the bold decision of replacing women with men in the roles of swans. However, the decision paid off and it went on to earn awards, great critical acclaim and applause from visiting audiences. Amongst its accolades is the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 1996 as well as a Tony Award for Best Choreography in 1999.

For this Christmas season, audiences will witness two particularly acclaimed dancers in the production in the forms of Richard Winsor and Jonathan Ollivier, who will be taking to the stage alongside Scott Ambler, Madelaine Brennan, Kerry Biggin, Charlotte Broom, Nina Goldman, Steve Kirkham, Christopher Marney and Dominic North.

Winsor is no stranger to the work of Matthew Bourne, having appeared in his productions such as “Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands” and “Matthew Bourne’s Play Without Words”, whilst his other credits have seen him take on theatrical work in plays and on the screen, winning him acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. When he appears in “Swan Lake” it will be the first time he has taken on such a role as he inhabits the role of The Swan.

His co-star Ollivier has appeared in the likes of “Jekyll & Hyde”, “Requiem”, “Wuthering Heights”, “The Three Musketeers”, “Dracula” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” following his years training in Cape Town and at the Rambert Ballet School. He will also play The Swan, making it his debut in such a role.

The production is loosely based on the Tchaikovsky classic, whilst inspiration is also known to have been taken from “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock. However, the classic story of “Swan Lake” involves the character of Siegfried as he encounters an evil magician, Rothbart, who has transformed a group of women into swans during the day, only to walk the Earth in their true form during the night. It is the night of Siegfried’s birthday and using his mother’s present of a crossbow he aims to take fight and free them from the wicked spell.

“Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake” makes its appearance at Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Friday 18th December 2009 (previews from Thursday 10th December 2009) until Sunday 24th January 2010.