Bourne’s production is the first ballet staging of “The Red Shoes.”
Tony Award-winning choreographer and director Matthew Bourne is conjuring golden-age cinema in “The Red Shoes.”
The production, which makes its North American debut at the Ahmanson Theatre on Friday, Sept. 15 through Sunday, Oct. 1, with the opening set for Tuesday, Sept. 19, is an adaptation of the 1948 Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger Oscar-winning film. It tells the story of Victoria Page’s desire for the man she loves and her dream to become the greatest dancer in the world.
In the 1940s, a woman couldn’ t expect to have both.
With all its tension and a lengthy ballet sequence, the film has inspired generations of young women to pursue dance.
Among them is New Adventures classically trained dancer Ashley Shaw, who returns to the role of “Vicky” that she originated for the world premiere in England in November 2016.
“When I first saw the film, I was too young to understand the storyline, but I remember the red shoes, ” she says, adding “they were just brilliant.”
Bourne’s production is the first ballet adaptation of this story within a story, which includes the ballet called “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Anderson.
“It’s a difficult film to adapt into another medium, ” says Michael Solomon, vice president of presentations and education at the Music Center who encourages audiences to see the film before coming to the show. “When you’ re doing this as a dance piece, you have to find a way to make sure that people understand how to follow the larger story along with the actual ‘Red Shoes’ ballet within it. But Matthew has done it.”
The Observer called it “a feast for the eye, with every scene animated by sharp detail and witty characterization.”
In its review, the Daily Telegraph hailed it as “a complex story, one that ricochets between London and France, art and real life.”
“He knows how to tell a story without words, ” Solomon says. “That’s why he was the right person to make it into a ballet.”
In Bourne’s ballet, there is no dialogue. Events only hinted at in the film are chronologically performed to help the audience follow along with the story, including having a ballerina up on pointe.
Projected backdrops, costumes, and dramatic lighting evokes the look of Technicolor.
“The Red Shoes” is one in a long line of notable Bourne productions presented for L.A. audiences. They include “Swan Lake, ” which had its American premiere at the Ahmanson in 1997, and eight others: “Sleeping Beauty, ” “Cinderella, ” “The Car Man, ” “Play Without Word, ” “Nutcracker!, ” “Edward Scissorhands, ” “My Fair Lady, ” and “Mary Poppins.”
Video: See clips of Matthew Bourne’s “ The Red Shoes ” and “ Swan Lake ”
“It’s quite hard to pigeonhole what our company does because we’ re somewhere between ballet, a musical, and theater, ” Shaw says. “But I think that’s what Matthew Bourne does so brilliantly.”
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, Saturday, Sept. 16,1 and 6: 30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, and additional dates through Oct. 1, with the opening set for Sept. 19
Where: Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles
Tickets: $30-$165
Information: 213-628-2772. www.centertheatregroup.org
