Edward Scissorhands Leaves You Spellbound

Whatever the talented Matthew Bourne touches turns to gold. Following his excellent productions of Swan/> Lake/>, Highland Fling and Play Without Words, not to mention his sterling work in both recent stage versions of My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins– many thought that Tim Burton's tale of an outcast's arrival in picket fence America/>/> would be a step too far.

But anyone who has seen the film featuring Johnny Depp as the almost silent, gentle Edward – a boy with scissors for hands as a result of his father/creator's death- will testify that this wonderful fairy tale style narrative is suited to ballet. It has comedy, drama and tragedy and all of these are eloquently recreated through the power of dance.

From the minute that you see Lez Brotherston's gorgeous set, you are transported to a world of alienation and darkness. Caroline Thompson's screenplay pleases both fans of the film and newcomers. Edward (beautifully played by Sam Archer) is created by an inventor who dies before he can give his creature a pair of hands. Edward resides in a gothic castle alone, destined to die not having experienced a full life. But like all horror movie creatures the beast is disc overed by local townsfolk. At first the wild-haired one with scissors for hands is seen as a novelty act as he can cut lawns, bushes, sculpt ice, give poodle make-overs and transform the dowdy women into modern ladies with his hair cutting skills. Once Edward falls fall for local girl Kim, the welcome that he received is soon muted as the locals fear him for his individuality.

Archer conveys Edward's vulnerability with ease. The lonely look on his face, the nervous dance moves and his wide eyed innocence moves you and you do feel for this character deeply. Tim Burton's original creation as played by Johnny Depp was always heart warming but here, you really feel his pain at being different and his sense of longing to fit in.

Kerry Biggin is also wonderful as the protagonist's love interest. The scene where she is recreated in ice is absolutely stunning. Many have commented that there is very little of Matthew Bourne's choreography on show in this production but less is more here. The tale needs a slower pace than we are used to seeing as we need to see behind the characters eyes, what motivates them, what pains them and all of those traits are on show. As for Bourne himself, his trademark humour is evident and his classic form of dance is so involving and although it looks simple, you realise how masterful his direction is as every emotion is conveyed through movement and none of this is clumsy, in fact it has resonance beyond the film.

Anyone who remembers the Tim Burton movie will recall Danny Elfman's wonderful soundtrack. His music remains and really suits the ballet moves and gives the actors a dream like quality as they glide across the stage. Terry Davies' original music brings humour and a fresh quality to the piece. This is not simply a movie retread and Davies' excellent additional score proves this.

There are many standout scenes which will leave you open mouthed and maybe even a bit teary eyed. I loved the scenes where Edward began to work his magic on the middle class community obsessed with consumerism. One lovely scene features him cutting away transforming bushes into weird and wonderful shapes. These green boundaries then literally develop a life of their own and dance across the stage, truly magical! The ice sculpture scene so moving in the film stays in your memory even longer here as it is danced and therefore a feast for the eyes.

Bourne has assembled a magnificent troupe of dancers, many whom have worked with him before and the stage is rarely empty. The great thing about these performers is that they do more than simply dance. If you look at their expressions, listen to their breathing patterns, you realise that they are inhabiting this picket fence world and you are invited to see how they live.

Howard Harrison's evocative lighting highlights two worlds blurred together; Edward's gothic world meets the Day-Glo world of American suburbia. Watching these two cultures clash you are reminded of how timeless and relevant this story really is. Like Billy Elliot, this piece is about acceptance and equality.

At times there are too many ensemble scenes which although great to watch prove annoying also as it hard to single out individuals, thus slowing down the narrative flow. Several scenes could do with some cutting as dance needs to evolve and some elements do simply repeat what has gone before. But this is a minor quibble as by the end of this piece, the audience on the night I went were completely spellbound by this beautiful production as was I. Bourne's Scissorhands is that good that even the shy Tim Burton would be on his feet. This show compliments his original work and the end result is stunningly good.  

Edward Scissorhands is currently on tour in the UK/>/> with a U.S tour coming soon.

NORWICH
Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RL
28 Feb – 4 March 2006
Box Office 01603 630 000
www.theatre-royal-norwich.co.uk
WIMBLEDON
New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1QG
7-11 March 2006
Box Office 0870 060 6646
www.theambassadors.com/newwimbledon
CARDIFF
Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place,Cardiff, CF10 5AL
14-18 March
Box Office 0870 040 2000
www.wmc.org.uk
BIRMINGHAM
Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street, Birmingham, B5 4TB
21-25 March 2006
Box Office 0870 730 1234
www.birminghamhippodrome.com
WOKING
New Victoria Theatre, Peacocks Centre, Woking, GU21 6GQ
28 March - 1 April 2006
Box Office 01483 545 900
www.theambassadors.com/woking
NOTTINGHAM
Nottingham Theatre Royal, Theatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND
4-8 April 2006
Box Office 0115 989 5555
www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk
GLASGOW
Glasgow Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 3QA
11-15 April 2006
Box Office 0141 240 1133
www.theatreroyalglasgow.com
NEWCASTLE
Newscastle Theatre Royal, 100 Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6BR
18-22 April 2006
Box Office 0879 905 5060
www.theatreroyal.co.uk
WYCOMBE
Wycombe Swan, St Mary Street, High Wycombe, Bucks,HP11 2XE
25-29 April 2006
Box Office 01494 512 000
www.wycombeswan.co.uk
BRADFORD
Alhambra Theatre, Morley Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1AJ
2-6 May 2006
Box Office 01274 432 000
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk
MILTON KEYNES
Milton Keynes Theatre, Marlborough Gate, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3NZ
9-13 May 2006
Box Office 0870 060 6652
www.miltonkeynestheatre.com

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.