Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures’ Edward Scissorhands is phenomenal. Without exaggeration, this may be the best show I have ever seen. I’ve got the soundtrack on right now.
This isn’t a cheap scene-for-scene rehashing, capitalising on the success of the 1990 film, but an interpretation in which the plot has been altered to perfectly fit the artform without losing any of the charm and impact of the original.
The set design was incredible (“incredible” was written in my notepad many times during this performance). The use of screens gave wonderful dimension to the stage and created breath-taking illusions, allowing for incredibly fast and impactful set changes. The moments in which set, costumes, and characters were replaced and altered in the blink of an eye were nothing short of magic. The lighting design had as much thought put in to it as all other elements, achieving a huge variety of effects which gave wonderful texture to the staging and was cleverly used to emphasise emotion. During A Portrait of Kim, there was a fantastic three-part evolution from the shadow of a ballerina in a music box cast on the wall, to a projected illusion of a cheerleading Kim, which morphed into a trio of Kims emerging from behind the wall which has become dreamily translucent. The artistry of this production was jaw-dropping, and the level of detail which went into this show’s light and set design was joyous.
It goes without saying that the choreography of this show was out of this world – that is what Matthew Bourne does. The choreography of this show really got across the spookiness of Tim Burton’s characters, who move in his movies with a strangeness that lends itself to dance. The only problem with this show is that there are too many places that you want to look. The dances vary from punchy and invigorating, as in Mad Mambo, to tear-jerking balletic moments like in Topiary Garden. I would go and see this production again just for the opportunity to see The Suburban Ballet—a pageant of the nuclear families emerging from their identical houses—again, which is up there as one of my favourite theatre moments of all time.
The cast fully actualised their individual characters through their dance, and the brilliant costuming further emphasised the uniqueness of each bold character. It was an excellent choice to use vocalisation minimally throughout the production, as its scarcity made the moments where characters did protest, sigh, or cheer all the more powerful.
The only downside to this production was that it didn’t have a live orchestra. But, with that said, it wasn’t easy to tell. The quality of the recording was fantastic, and moments genuinely gave me chills, particularly blaring moments from the horns.
I can’t praise this show enough. Go and see it, and once you’ve seen it, go see it again.
Verity Babbs is the host of Voice FM's 'Arts & Culture Show' on Wednesdays at 2PM
www.veritybabbs.com
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