Last year, director and choreographer extraordinaire Matthew Bourne
brought us a revolutionary revamp of the timeless ballet Swan Lake. The
piece, which featured male swans bounding around the stage in a bold
display of athletic machismo, breathed new life into the classic and
was lauded by critics as a must-see, once-in-a-lifetime event. Now,
Bourne is back with a new take on Tim Burton’s twisted cult cinematic
fairytale Edward Scissorhands.
It’s a lovingly crafted adaptation on the poignant themes of
difference, loneliness and isolation which are embodied with such
tender and touching nuance by Edward (Dominic North, on the night I
attended), the boy who is ‘born’ with scissors for hands. Like
Pinocchio or Frankenstein before him Edward is the creation of an
eccentric father figure who yearns for a ‘real’ boy. In Bourne’s
version Edward stumbles into 1950s suburbia and is found and adopted by
the Boggs family, who seek to offer him a fresh start, complete with a
new preppy-style wardrobe to go with the stitched up values that he
must learn to observe. But Edward thrives nonetheless and brings his
own brand of magic to the place in the form of fantastical topiary
creations and cutting-edge hairstyles all rendered magnificently
through the use of his unique snippy appendages.
Bourne’s talent for harnessing the subtlety in minuscule gestures
provides this piece with a powerful visual narrative. Bereft of
dialogue we must rely on movement, costuming (Lez Brotherston) and
facial expressions alone to learn the attitudes of the characters and
follow the story, and this is achieved to great effect here. From the
greasers, to the 1950s housewives and cheerleaders each dancer captures
the stereotypes with a vivid fluidity which is energising to watch.
The set design (Lez Brotherston) is sumptuous and Burtonesque. There’s
an effective use of screens that add a dreamlike dimension to the
space, and the large whimsical topiary creations inspire pure and
unadulterated childlike wonder.
Fans of the original flick’s memorable score by Danny Elfman will be
enchanted by Terry Davies new arrangements on the familiar themes. And
Paul Groothuis’ sound design - when coupled with the poetic flourishes
of Edward’s scissor-like hands - create surprising moments of emotional
connection for an audience who seemed to hang on the edge of their
seats like kids entranced at a school holiday pantomime.
This is a slick, well-executed production, but the first act is by far
the strongest. This is largely because the story elements are well
thought through here. As we enter the second act it seems that large
dancing set pieces take predominance over the narrative, and the
romance between Edward(Dominic North) and Kim(Noi Tolmer) seems to
come more as an after thought, rather than the unifying principle
around which the action takes place. But still, there is plenty for Tim
Burton diehards to enjoy, and lovers of contemporary dance will delight
in the scope of genres that are incorporated into this fun flight of
fancy.
Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands
SYDNEY Venue: Sydney Opera House | Opera Theatre Dates: Thursday 29 May - Saturday 14 June Tickets:www.sydneyoperahouse.com or 02 9250 7777
BRISBANE Venue: Lyric Theatre, QPAC Dates: 18 to 22 Jun 2008 Bookings:www.qtix.com.au or 136 246
PERTH Venue: His Majesty's Theatre Dates: Tuesday 1 July - Sunday 6 July Bookings: BOCS Ticketing 136 246
MELBOURNE Venue: the Arts Centre, State Theatre Dates: Tuesday 22 July - Sunday 3 August Bookings: (Register for priority period - 3 March– 10 March) | theartscentre.com.au
Avenue Q to open in MelbourneFrom Broadway to the West End, and the West End to Melbourne…the wait
is over and AVENUE Q fans can rejoice that the Tony Award Best Musical
winner will finally be enjoyed in Australia.
Read more
Last year, director and choreographer extraordinaire Matthew Bourne
brought us a revolutionary revamp of the timeless ballet Swan Lake. The
piece, which featured male swans bounding around the stage in a bold
display of athletic machismo, breathed new life into the classic and
was lauded by critics as a must-see, once-in-a-lifetime event. Now,
Bourne is back with a new take on Tim Burton’s twisted cult cinematic
fairytale Edward Scissorhands. 
