MATTHEW BOURNE’S THE RED SHOES:
U.S. TOUR BEGINS IN L.A. SEPTEMBER 15
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s legendary 1948 film The Red Shoes, Matthew Bourne and company (New Adventures) adapted the breathtaking story and created a theatrical ballet which took the U.K. by storm last year. After winding up its tour across the pond, the most anticipated ballet in years is beginning its U.S. tour in Los Angeles on September 15, 2017, courtesy of The Music Center’s Center Theatre Group and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance. The World Premiere tour then continues to the Kennedy Center, Washington DC; Blumenthal Performing Arts, Charlotte; and City Center, New York. Single tickets are now on sale for all venues.
As with the popular film, the central theme—Love or Art—is developed in the interwoven stories of three people: Julian Craster, a struggling composer and conductor; Boris Lermontov, a tyrannical director of the Lermontov Ballet; and Victoria Page, a dedicated young ballerina. Page lives to dance but her ambitions become a battleground between the two men who inspire her passion.
Bourne reunites the crackling design team of the sumptuous Sleeping Beauty, seen at the Ahmanson in L.A. in 2013: Keeping the design element in the film’s 1940s’ setting are Lez Brotherston (set and costumes), Paule Constable (lighting), and Paul Groothuis (sound). There is also a new score arranged by Terry Davies using the hypnotic music of golden-age Hollywood composer, Bernard Herrmann (most famous for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo), Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) and Martin Scorsese (Cape Fear, Taxi Driver); as such, expect palpable music that ranges from whimsical and gleefully boisterous to achingly romantic and bittersweet. The score will be played live by the New Adventures Orchestra.
The original cast returns for this tour to recreate their iconic roles. Victoria Page, immortalized on screen by Moira Shearer, will be played by New Adventures leading lady, Ashley Shaw, while rising star Cordelia Braithwaite offers her interpretation as Vicky on alternate performances (Sara Mearns will be seen in the New York run).
The great Sam Archer (of Bourne ballets Edward Scissorhands, Cinderella, and Play Without Words) created the iconic role of the Svengali-like Impresario Boris Lermontov; he alternates with Jack Jones, who recently made his debut in the role. The role of Julian Craster will be played by one of New Adventures most popular dancers, Dominic North.
But the big news for American dance fans is that American Ballet Theatre star Marcelo Gomes will be making his debut as Julian at all venues during the USA Tour (the photo below is Gomes in The Car Man at Sadler’s Wells in 2015).
The North American tour dates will sell out, as the runs are short. Don’t miss this heady drama, equal parts dazzling and heartbreaking.
photos by Johan Persson and Chris Mann
The Red Shoes
Matthew Bourne / New Adventures production
U.S. Tour Dates
AHMANSON THEATRE, LOS ANGELES
September 15 — October 1, 2017
THE KENNEDY CENTER, WASHINGTON DC
October 10 – October 15, 2017
BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS, CHARLOTTE, NC
October 17 — October 22, 2017
CITY CENTER, NEW YORK, NY
October 26 – November 5, 2017
for more info, visit New Adventures
