Christmas Special Reinvented

The Nutcracker by Matthew Bourne

It is hard to believe how quickly time flies! A couple of weeks ago, I celebrated the premiere of Matthew Bourne's new play "The Midnight Bell" during the night out with Ken Loach and my friends. Now I am counting the days to Christmas, delighting in another production by the same director.

For theatre and ballet enthusiasts, "The Nutcracker" is like "Kevin Home Alone" for film lovers. It is a Christmas must-see! Experiencing the play for the first time in Bourne's interpretation last Sunday in the Sadler's Wells Theatre teleported me into the world of magic. I was walking the streets of London feeling light-hearted as if I had entered a new dimension.

This hugely celebrated play has been reinvented for us using modern technology such as 3D mapping, creating magnificent effects on stage. Lengthy ballet sequences have been removed from it altogether. The baseline of the story and the music by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky stayed the same.  

In the beginning, we see a sinister orphanage in a distorted perspective. Monochromatic costumes and collapsing angles of the set bring op art and Salvador Dali's paintings to mind. Everything is for a show in this grim institution where discipline rules over love. Kids perform daily activities in front of wealthy benefactors and, in return, are given Christmas presents, amongst which there is an unusual nutcracker in a shape of a boy puppet. 

When the kids fall asleep, one of the girls dreams up an alternative universe with all the characters from her daily life in new roles. In her fantasy, the nutcracker comes to life as a Frankenstein oddity. He comes across as frightening at first but soon wins the orphans' trust by helping them escape from the oppressive establishment, leading them into the beautiful world of imagination. 

The colours and the set change, contrasting with the previous sombre background. Soft light and feathery shapes dominate the scene. The actors appear in new costumes: fluffy hats, floating skirts and white suits. The second act moves us more into the Alice-in-the-Wonderland-like reality, with bonbon decorations, unusual new characters and even more flamboyant outfits designed by Anthony Ward. To the young girl’s despair, the Nutcracker turns into a handsome young man but regrettably falls in love with an overconfident and cheeky Princess Sugar. Will the unimposing orphan be able to win him back?

I can only use one word to describe the show: impressive. Like in all Matthew Bourne's plays, dance, acting, set design, costumes, and sound come together, forming a fantastic theatrical experience. It is like nothing you have ever seen before. 

Matthew Bourne's interpretation of "The Nutcracker", co-written with Martin Duncan, had its' first premiere in 1992. From that moment on, it has been inspiring new audiences worldwide. The director mentions essential changes introduced this season. If you have seen the play before, I am sure it will surprise and leave you speechless, moving your heart and imagination again.

Agnes Prygiel, 14/12/2021 London

The Midnight Bell in Sadler's Wells

Longing for Love

My connection with Matthew Bourne's plays is personal. Being a friend of one of the cast members puts me in the position of a faithful follower who always watches all the shows, sometimes more than once. Having seen "Cinderella", "Romeo & Juliet", "Red Shoes" and the "The Midnight Bell", allows me to analyse the spectrum of sir Matthew Bourne's work.

This highly accomplished choreographer and director is always fascinated with things happening in the shadows of glamorous lifestyles, at the edge of a broad scope of vision. In his reinterpretation of a children's classic, Cinderella is a young girl growing up with her step-mother and step-brothers in a big house during the II World War, being molested by one of her older siblings. In his take on Shakespeare's iconic play, Bourne reimagines Juliet as a vulnerable young adult, living in a boarding school, experiencing sexual abuse from one of the guards, unable to break free. 

There is always a gay romance somewhere in the background, a subtle emotion of two men unable to express their feelings openly. 

Bourne's plays remind me of vintage photographs that somehow came to life. Fashion, gestures and movements carry the feeling of nostalgia, influenced by silent movies and musicals. 

There is a contrast between things happening during the day and the night. Darkness represents hidden desires, suppressed impulses, creating perfect hiding for those looking for tenderness. The director's visionary pieces are ultimately about love, our longing for a deep, passionate line of understanding with another human being.

At the centre of "The Midnight Bell" is a London pub and its' unusual clientele. Inspired by Patrick Hamilton's novels, the play focuses on five unusual affairs. 

The first is the relationship between the pub's manager and a local prostitute. Fascinated with the beautiful seductress, the young man falls for a woman who makes financial gain from love. How will he ever know if her feelings are genuine?

The second is a turbulent fantasy in the mind of an eccentric poet with mental health issues, obsessed with a famous socialite.

A married woman is dating a gigolo. Two gay men, one of them being a policeman, explore homosexuality. An older gentleman proposes to a waitress.

All the plots revolve around the fleeting desire to be fully understood and completed in a relationship. Following the threads simultaneously, we see them developing in multiple directions. 

Having read the reviews describing the play as dark and intoxicating, I somewhat disagree with those labels. There is an element of optimism and humour in "The Midnight Bell". Not all the characters get what they wish for, but in a way, neither does anyone in the real life. For me, Bourne's performances are always about hope for finding true love and fulfilment.          

I was delighted to visit the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London and see the play with my friend and an accomplished architect Peter Fitzpatrick, film director Ken Loach, his lovely wife Lesley and two daughters. After the show, we did not get to speak to Matthew Bourne in person, but we were thrilled to meet the cast. It was an exceptional evening for my friends and me.

Agnes Prygiel, 10.10.2021