Then I would be privy to\u00a0all the beauty and inventiveness inside his brain on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/9_SLb501.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Craig Schwartz, as is the one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
This is the third time in twenty-two years that I\u2019ve seen his amazing version of this classic ballet, and I\u2019m still floored by it. As Mr. X pointed-out, one can see ten<\/em> performances of his Swan Lake<\/em>, and never see the same show twice, adding,\u00a0\u201cThe show shimmers with class.\u201d<\/p>\n During the magnificent performance, I never looked at my watch even once<\/em>, which I think was a first for me. And I noticed that there was a dearth of the usual theatre coughing during this entire presentation! I think we were all just holding our breath\u2014I finally understand the true definition of \u201cbreathtaking.\u201d<\/p>\n The pre-show curtain. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I actually started crying at the very beginning, even before the curtain rose, when the swan projection on the screen began moving! I knew what was to come, and got overwhelmed at how fortunate I am to live at a time to have this wonderful opportunity. (I\u2019m actually tearing-up again now, just writing<\/em> about it! No lie.)<\/p>\n And this is interesting\u2014Matthew Bourne\u2019s is the main Swan Lake<\/em> that I know now, after seeing the classical one about one hundred times since I was a little girl. I had to look up the original story when I got home because I could barely remember it anymore. That\u2019s the impact Matthew Bourne has had on me.<\/p>\n As dramatic as the second half gets, especially the last two scenes, so much of this ingenious production is charming and absolutely hilarious. The dancers\u2019 facial expressions really read to the back of the room.<\/p>\n Will Bozier and Andrew Monaghan. Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n When Sir Matthew first presented his version of Swan Lake<\/em> back in 1995 in his native London, and then in 1997 here in Los Angeles, (also at the Ahmanson,) it was very controversial. The thought of male<\/em> swans was more than many literati could handle. I don\u2019t think any of us know what his intent for the characters really<\/em> was back then, but I concur with the prevailing opinion that it definitely seems homosexual in nature. I believe that another\u00a0of the interpretations of the swans being male is that they are a symbol of freedom to the prince, but none of it is for me<\/em> to say. I really don\u2019t care about the tale<\/em>\u2014I\u2019m just into the amazing dance and the fun humorous parts. In all honesty, I\u2019ve rarely enjoyed a story in any<\/em> classical ballet, because most of them are sad and some are downright scary. And in my life, I never care who loves whom, so it\u2019s all good. I just go on the journey with it all. (This time, a crazy thought hit me\u2014is the prince supposed to be in love with the tough stranger guy, or with the swan<\/em>? I certainly hope it\u2019s not the latter because that would be a whole other scenario.)<\/p>\n But in this day and age, I certainly hope that everyone who sees this ballet\/dance theatre will just decide the narrative for his-or-herself, and accept it. And revel in the marvelous work from everyone concerned\u2014choreographer, dancers, set and costume designer Lez Brotherston, lighting designer Paule Constable, and the wonderful Tchaikovsky music, which is always a joy to hear.<\/p>\n (L-R) Katrina Lyndon, Andrew Monaghan, and Keenan Fletcher. Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n As always with most dance presentations, there are at least two dancers for every role over the run, and while I can’t imagine anyone from Matthew Bourne\u2019s company, New Adventures, not being absolutely superb, I\u2019m just telling you about the ones who performed on opening night.<\/p>\n Shockingly, because you know how much it’s\u00a0always been about Matthew’s\u00a0male<\/em> dancers for me, my two faves this time were both females! Katrina Lyndon was a blast as The Girlfriend. Even more amusing was the Moth Maiden in the ballet-within-the-ballet, Mari Kamata, whom I first lauded two and a half years ago in Matthew Bourne\u2019s Early Adventures<\/em> at the Wallis. What an adorable young lady she is! (Okay, I did just turn into my mother for a second there.)<\/p>\n And, for the first time ever, I enjoyed the Prince\u2019s dancing more than that of the Swan\/Stranger. Yes, Will Bozier is excellent in that heavy-duty\u00a0dual role, but Andrew Monaghan\u2019s Prince is so light and flowy. And extended. I\u2019ve never even noticed the Prince in this ballet before, but I could not take my eyes off him this time\u2014I was mesmerized by the beauty of Andrew’s\u00a0movement. I absolutely adored him.<\/p>\n Andrew Monaghan and Will Bozier. Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n The famous dance of a foursome of swans was played perfectly for laughs here, making it one of the highlights of the show. I only wish it had been longer. It\u2019s a supreme example of Bourne\u2019s brilliance.<\/p>\n Of all<\/em> of it, I advise that you had better see these dancers while you can, before they age out, as New Adventures stars Adam Cooper and Alan Vincent did, much to my eternal dismay.<\/p>\n One wardrobe note is that the main swan isn\u2019t dressed even a little differently from the other swans, which I found interesting, but distracting. I kept losing him in the flock. But maybe that\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n Matthew Bourne\u2019s Swan Lake<\/em> is so magical that I feel like I still haven\u2019t told you enough. I loved it so much that I have the urge to give Matthew my first born!<\/p>\n But rather than that, (luckily for him,) let me sum up my feelings about Swan Lake<\/em> with this brief parable from my life: Shortly after the first time I was on the Tonight Show<\/em>, I was at a party for a friend\u2019s parents.\u00a0 His father proudly took me around to all the guests and asked, “Did you see Karen on the Tonight Show<\/em>? ” If they answered no, he’d reprimand them, “Then you\u2019re stupid!!!”\u00a0 And that’s how I<\/em> feel about Matthew Bourne\u2019s Swan Lake<\/em>; if you have this amazing opportunity given to us by the Ahmanson, and miss it, you are most definitely stupid!<\/p>\n Matthew Bourne\u2019s Swan Lake<\/em>\u00a0running through January 5, 2020<\/strong> MATTHEW BOURNE\u2019S SWAN LAKE As I was sitting in the Ahmanson Theatre audience on opening night of Matthew Bourne\u2019s Swan Lake, a new thought occurred to me: when I die, I want to come back as a Matthew Bourne dancer! That means that not only would I be one of the best dancers in the<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Ahmanson Theatre 135 N. Grand Ave. 213-972-4400\u00a0www.centertheatregroup.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"