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Brilliant British choreographer Matthew Bourne turns tradition upside down with a new spin on "Swan Lake," resetting Tchaikovsky's classic in a fantasy 1950s London and a court of libidinous Royals and replacing the traditional female corps of leggy, tutued swans with a menacing flock of bare-chested males. GREAT PERFORMANCES presents the ballet that is set for Broadway in September 1998 and has already played to sold-out houses in London and Los Angeles.
Late music critic John Ardoin traces Tchaikovsky's ballet from its initial failure to its current status as a beloved classic; reveals the neurotic, self-absorbed man behind the artist who would endure
as Russia's most popular composer; and highlights the originality of Bourne's
production while declaring its continuity with the classic "Swan Lake."
Click here to explore the Web companion for this program, which originally aired on June 10, 1998.
Top banner photos: The Swan (Adam Cooper) with The Prince (Scott Ambler); The Swan (Cooper) with his flock; the all-male swans (Adventures in Motion Pictures dancers).
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The Prince (Ambler) and the Queen, danced by Fiona Chadwick. |
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A scene from the ballet staged for
the entertainment of the Royals. |
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