Dance Reviews

Case Study: Dance: Edward Scissorhands Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

THIS is a production that is as razor sharp at the blades at the end of Edward Scissorhands arms.

The production is stylish and sophisticated with dance that is breathtaking in its clarity and polish with music to die for.

Yes, in case you were in any doubt, I absolutely adored this show. And I certainly wasn’t alone.

What a fabulous achievement it is by choreographer Matthew Bourne that he creates dances that have teenagers standing up and shouting their appreciation. They did when the production enjoyed a staggering 11 week run at London’s Sadlers Wells and Wales Millennium Centre has had few such riotously successful first nights.

For the uninitiated Bourne’s work is wildly inventive and bold. No-one can predict where his creative eye will take him having brought us modern adaptations of La Sylphide (Highland Fling), Carmen (Car Men), Nutcracker and that all-male Swan Lake. He has now turned his undisputed talents to creating his own version of the cult Tim Burton movie Edward Scissorhands.

What a challenge it is to tell what is already a bizarre tale of the boy whose maker rather unfortunately dies leaving his creation unfinished, with scissors instead of hands.

It is a cross between the film world’s Frankenstein, creating a monster, and ballet’s Coppelia, creating a living doll but with the fizz of Bourne’s mastery of romance and comedy.

The heart lifting story follows this special boy as he encounters the world with its prejudice against outsiders and the different, finds acceptance and outlets for his unique talents, and copes with love.

Bourne gives us marvellous larger than life characters to get us straight into the story so we have gothic kids, a bible-thumping family, the all-American wholesome family plus the Desperate Housewives suburban vamp and of course Kim, the love of Edward’s life.

Despite the rave reviews of the London performances I have to confess some trepidation at how he could capture the magic of the film – even with dancing topiary.
While I need not have worried, this is a marvellous production that tells the story beautifully, something of the Gothic spirit of the film version is lost.

It is moving, it is inspiring, it is humorous but some of darkness of Burton’s film is lost in this spick and span show. Similarly, in the flow of dance and humour some of Edward’s pathos, his isolation and suffering fail to come through.

That said this is a splendid piece of music theatre created with the blessing of the original Hollywood team including screenplay writer Caroline Thompson and Burton himself. Then we have the mesmerizing, soulful and haunting music of composer Terry Davies and the original film score composer Danny Elfman.

The highpoints of the show are the large scale dances encompassing the whole ensemble, delivered with a surgeon’s precision and a showman’s flair, the intimate moments between Edward and Kim, danced by Hannah Vassallo, and the brilliant way our unlikely hero’s blade skills are revealed.

Bourne takes from where his inspiration from wherever his creative eye takes him from Grease-style routines of the Happy Days years to classical dance formations with plenty of mime to take the story along.

Lez Brotherston suburbia-meets-fairyland sets are perfect for this show that is full of visual delights from Edward’s shearing skills, creating animals, ice sculptures and outlandish hair styles before our very eyes - even the neighbour’s poodle doesn’t escape the Scissorhands snips.

Bourne is keen to stress he does not regard his works as ballets; although I would argue the point with some of the works, here we are definitely in the realms of musical. The gestures are at times balletic in their grace and athleticism but this is far more a West End show with music and dance but not the singing.

As Edward, Sam Archer dances with the otherworldliness that is required of this gentle and reserved creature, subtly portraying his confusion at being both a danger to all he touches to a remarkable talent for creating beauty.

While the greatest cries of appreciation were for Edward himself this production requires ensemble work of the highest order from a cast that dazzles with Bourne’s unique dance chemistry combined with traditional showmanship.

< Back

Copyright 2005 MediaSmith