Choreographer Matthew Bourne is best known for his surprisingly uncontroversial staging of a homosexual Swan Lake. In his version, there is no nonsense about transformations or shape-changing. Swans are swans and men are men. Both are fierce and muscular, as well as graceful, and their love is tragic and awe-inspiring as well as beautiful.
Come to think of it, perhaps the reason why Swan Lake was so uncontroversial was because it was so good.
There’s been a lot of coverage of Matthew Bourne since then, but I’m going to go ahead and give him another plug because I can’t afford to fly to New York to see a production. I’m taking baby steps towards the goal of convincing his company, New Adventures, to show in California. Lesser-known shows of his that are currently on tour include Edward Scissorhands, another tale of a young man in anguish, and a musical of the childhood classic Mary Poppins. Although Disney is producing the musical, I wouldn’t back down quite yet. We once thought that Swan Lake was a tired old classic as well.
You can also read more about Matthew Bourne's dances in the New Yorker here.
