Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake
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Ten Years On, Bourne Returns Swans to Sadler's

Matthew Bourne’s legendary all-male staging of Swan Lake heads back to London at the end of this year. The new, tenth anniversary production – which runs for a limited Christmas season from 30 November 2004 to 16 January 2005 - returns the Swans to Sadler’s Wells, where they were first seen in 1995.

For 15 years, Bourne was best known, with producer Katharine Dore, as one half of the renowned Adventures in Motion Pictures (AMP) whose much-lauded works included the original mountings of his Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Cinderella, The Car Man and others. In August 2001, Bourne announced his solo outfit, New Adventures, which in addition to new airings for Swan Lake and Nutcracker! (Sadler’s Christmas show for the past two years), premiered Bourne's double Olivier Award-winning new work Play Without Words.

Swan Lake premiered at Sadler's Wells in 1995 before becoming the longest running ballet in both the West End and on Broadway, where it won three Tony Awards (Best Director of a Musical and Best Choreographer for Bourne and Best Costume Design for Lez Brotherston). Its many other prizes include a South Bank Show award and an Olivier for Best New Dance Production. It was last seen in London in 2000 when it had a limited season at the West End's Dominion Theatre.

The dance production was originally scheduled for a two-month engagement this summer- running from 13 July to 4 September 2004 (See News, 14 Jul 2003) – but had to be postponed due to scheduling conflicts. It was replaced in the Sadler’s Wells schedule by Paul Kerryson’s musical revival of Singin' in the Rain, which stars and is choreographed by original Swan star and former Royal Ballet principal Adam Cooper (See News, 30 Mar 2004). Bourne’s anniversary Swan Lake is presented by Clear Channel Entertainment and Sadler’s Wells in association with New Adventures.

During the festive season, Bourne’s take on Tchaikovsky will face a challenge from the Royal Ballet’s own production of Swan Lake, which will run from 22 December 2004 to 25 January 2005 at Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House.

This Christmas, Bourne will also be represented in London by the much-anticipated Mary Poppins, which he’s choreographed and is co-directing with Richard Eyre. The screen-to-stage musical adaptation opens at the West End’s Prince Edward on 15 December 2004, following an initial eight weeks, from 28 September to 6 November 2004 (previews from 15 September), at the Bristol Hippodrome. Laura Michelle Kelly and Gavin Lee star as the eponymous nanny and her chimneysweep friend Bert (See News, 14 Jun 2004).

- by Terri Paddock

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