What a truly wonderful evening of storytelling and dance. Matthew Bourne has done it again and brought his unique style to a story we all know making a whole new experience to be savoured.
This is a tale of obsession and passion; a girl's passion to be the best dancer and two men's passion for her, one for her love and the other for her talent. Torn between the two and driven to dance forever in the red shoes she finds peace only in death. Real (original) fairy tales rarely have a fairy tale (Disney) ending.
The dancing is superb, the choreography beautiful and the technical side brilliant. This really is a magnificent evening on all levels. As with all Matthew Bourne's we can not only read the story being told on stage but the characters are full and rounded rather than just danced. We can see the passion, the anguish, the comedy played out as clear as dialogue. I was a particular fan of the bored ballroom - so funny yet still danced to within an inch of its life.
The set and lighting, even in this touring production, are worthy of any West End production, indeed they out shine many, and truly add to the story - at last, projection that has purpose, meaning and technical competence!
Whether you think you are a fan of dance or not I cannot recommend this highly enough - truly brilliant, can't wait to see it again!
