Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes

I was really excited to see Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes, as I have heard many wonderful things about the double Olivier Award-winning ballet. I’ve never watched a ballet performance before, but I now know the beauty I was missing out on! It is a charming story of a talented ballerina struggling to choose between dance and love, finding herself in difficult places, mirrored in her character’s own ballet show. It was a fantastic performance poetically told through magical movement.

It was incredible to see just how successful the storytelling was, even though no words were spoken. The whole show was clean and elegant, even with an element of humour, which I was not expecting. The sheer level of talent was astounding and captivating the whole way through. I found the set really interesting, because it mainly consisted of a stage curtain, transforming the stage from a performance to backstage with a single rotation, and allowing for dynamic scene changes. The costumes were also extremely beautiful, and elevated the whole performance. I loved watching the way the skirts flowed as the women danced, creating stunning silhouettes, and I applaud Lez Brotherston for his work on this. I really loved all the choreography, from beginning to end, and Matthew Bourne did a brilliant job of telling the fascinating performance through enchanting movements.

The star of the show, Ashley Shaw, brought so much emotion to the stage, and made everything look so effortless. Alongside her was Andy Monaghan and Dominic North, who both put in strong and refined performances as the Ballet Impresario and Composer respectively. Michela Meazza also dazzled me with the way she floated across the stage as the Prima Ballerina. I also have to mention Will Bozier whose technique and charm was great to watch. Glenn Graham played a few characters, but delivered each of them with depth and energy. The whole cast were incredible, right from the start, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage.

Overall I had such a fantastic time watching The Red Shoes, not only because it was a new experience for me, but because it really connects with the audience, and you get hooked on the thrill and the story. I would highly recommend snatching up a ticket yourself whilst still possible!