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
