TALKING POINTE
It’s been 24 years since Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake debuted in 1995.
The choreographer talks about his new production, and his inspirations.
What I think will surprise Swan Lake audiences is how moved they might be. People often say to me, “You made me cry.” It does touch you in a genuine way and becomes personal somehow – there’s
some sort of alchemy that happens.
A lot has changed since Swan Lake’s debut. There was a lot of silly humour in it at one point, and that’s gone in me a bit. I want to be taken more seriously now, to move people more. I’ve always thought of audiences. In 1995, the challenge was to create something that would be taken seriously, but also be popular. Today, the increasing size of the audience is incredible, so the challenge now is to keep pleasing people. You’ve got to be certain you have something to say or a good story to tell. I love plays, and enjoyed the Pinter at the Pinter in London. Pinter is a world I’m very happy in. I also loved Summer and Smoke, the Tennessee Williams play, with an amazing central performance by Patsy Ferran. I’m a big movie fan. I’ve just seen The Favourite. It’s a daringly different way of telling a story, and I applaud its uniqueness. So much cinema is made by committee and I want to see someone’s vision. I’m looking forward to Tim Burton’s Dumbo (out March 29) – Burton is a great visionary director. Travel is also inspiring. I’d love to go to Havana, Mexico, and Ludwig of Bavaria’s castles in Germany. Last year, I went to the Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast. It’s wonderful – you feel like you’re in this magical place with seals and wildlife, and nobody around you – in July, my partner and I and our dog
had a whole beautiful bay to ourselves.