Matthew Bourne
As his ground- breaking Swan Lake returns to Dublin in a revamped production, Matthew Bourne talks to Nancy Previs about creating the world- famous show
As his ground-breaking Swan Lake returns to Dublin, Matthew Bourne talks to Nancy Previs
“Iwas pleased to hear that our newest Swan Lake is selling very well in Dublin. I hope it will encourage more visits here with some of our other shows. I’d love for us to be coming to Dublin more regularly”, says choreographer, director and master storyteller, Matthew Bourne, who is in town for a quick visit. His newly re-imagined production of the classic Tchaikovsky’s ballet plays in the Bord Gáis Energy eatre later this month.
It’s been about four years since his worldrenowned dance company was last in Dublin (on that occasion performing Sleeping Beauty), and slightly longer since we last spoke...
It’s been 24 years since Bourne’s Swan Lake premiered at Sadler’s Wells in London, shocking audiences with its radical reworking of the treasured ‘traditional’ ballet. Instead of a delicate female corps de ballet and ouncy tutus, he unleashed the now iconic bare-chested male ensemble of erce swans, all muscular vigour and dark menace. at production went on to become the longest running ballet on Broadway and in London’s West End.
In the years since then, Matthew, “a serial tweaker”, has made small changes and alterations here and there, but for this new production, (which I saw last December in Sadler’s Wells where it had an eight-week sell-out run) he went for a dramatic revamp. “Basically, we rebuilt the whole thing,” he says. Once again, his approach was a personal response to the story. “I’ve streamlined it, I wanted it to feel a more emotionally strong and clearer telling of the Prince’s story. I’ve pared down a lot of what I see now as maybe silly or childish humour. So I’ve taken out a lot of stu that I felt didn’t need to be there.” It was vital for him, he says that “the piece represent me as the person I am now.
“It’s a more intimate approach to the story, rather than a big, grand ballet. I feel there’s such a lot to think about in these shows, to almost tell yourself within them, like how you tell yourself the story in a wordless piece. ere is a sense of discovery.” Currently, Matthew’s dance company is his largest ever, numbering about 70; yet somehow he still manages to run it like a family. When he started out more than three decades ago, “it was small, a group of friends. As it’s become bigger I’ve tried to keep that feeling, of a group of friends putting on a show. Very Mickey and Judy,” he laughs. “ e company itself doesn’t have a hierarchy. It does when there’s a show because some people will be playing principal roles; however, in another show those same principal people could be in the ensemble.” In 2016, Matthew was awarded a knighthood, which delighted him. “I loved it all. I’ve always been big into theatre and movies and I grew up avidly reading through Honours lists, wanting to know which actors would become a Dame or a Sir.” How did he react upon rst receiving his own Honours invitation? “I laughed a lot, just the thought of it!”
Being made a knight, he feels, has made him “more of a voice for my profession,” and prompted him to lend his support to charities important to him, such as the Prostate Cancer Research Centre (Matthew’s father died of prostate cancer). “I’ve been delving into things that aren’t in my world and it’s been good, it’s the sort of thing, I feel, that comes with the Sir thing.” e title also happened to come in handy when he was looking for a ticket to see the original cast in Hamilton during their nal week on Broadway. “Cameron Mackintosh, who eventually produced Hamilton in London, said to me, ‘I know this is crazy but I don’t think we can get one for you.’ So I suggested he just put in the request anyway and put the Sir in front of my name – and 24 hours later he calls me and goes, ‘You have a ticket for tonight’”.
I remind him that the last time we spoke he’d mentioned taking up Pilates. How’s that progressing? He sighs, saying “I haven’t taken it up yet. I really should but the lifestyle of travelling and having no regular schedule makes it very hard to commit to things. My partner’s on at me all the time about that, and I should – before it’s too late!” Does he spend a lot of time on the road? “Already this year I’ve been in Charlotte [North Carolina], ew back to London then ew to Washington [DC] and back again to London.”
en, just hours a er this ying visit to Dublin, Matthew was on his way to LA to catch up with the nal leg of his touring production of Cinderella. He’ll work there for ve weeks, then it’s back to the UK with his dancers, and straight into rehearsals for a new production of Romeo & Juliet, which will make its world premier in Leicester this May.
With all this hectic travel, how does he look a er his Russian toy terrier, Ferdinand? “Between my partner and me we work it out, or we have people come in and look a er him at home. Ferdinand has the run of the house and he has a little dog ap and he goes in and out of our garden. I’m a good owner, if I’m rehearsing and he’s on his own during the day, I would never go out a erwards. I would always go back to him. I never leave him alone for too long.” Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake returns to Bord Gáis Energy eatre from February 26 to March 2.