Matthew Bourne's THE RED SHOES - BRAVO! I Didn't Want the Production to End

Matthew Bourne (b Britain 1960) has received numerous awards & distinctions in the world of dance, theater & ballet.  He is the only Brit to win Tonys for both choreography & direction SWAN LAKE.  He's received multiple Tony nominations and every illustrious artistic award bestowed in England, Oliver Awards & the Queen Elizabeth II Award for his contributions in ballet.  THE RED SHOES won this year's Olivier Award for Best Theater Choreography.   THE RED SHOES is Mr. Bourne's first new production in over 5 years.  The hiatus has been long but the much anticipated RED SHOES will knock your socks off.  The production was captivating & exhilarating from start to finish.  I didn't want to THE RED SHOES to end.  The setting is Long & the French Riviera in the 1940's.  The dancers & Bourne's choreography is sublime.  I thought every moment mattered and all the more elaborate choreography excellent.  The two pieces I most favored for their poignancy & inventiveness were the cemetery scene, only Victoria's ephemeral presence is tangible & the celebratory cast party in France with jubilant dancing on tables, jitterbugging, & Congo lines forming.  The creativity & ingenuity in staging and storytelling is astonishing.  Based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson Bourne brings this classic tale artistically & magically to life.  The lead dancers, Ashley Paige & Dominic North were extraordinary.  Their dancing & acting, continuously breathtaking and deeply stirring.  The sensational Boris Lermontov as the ballet impresario & demonic incubus cast an alluring spell.  The entire production was ingenious.  The lines were blurred  between the play within the production transformed into the drama of its featured performers.  The boundaries between audience & performance was surreal.  The expert ensemble enhanced this spectacular show.  Bourne and the entire supremely talented design team achieved miraculous enchantment.  The sound design, lighting, set, costumes projections collaborated to create a production of ultimate wonder and awe.  THE RED SHOES was so seductive I would have gladly adorn the ballet shoes in order to make this magical marvel carry on.  Accolades and awards will continue to bestowed on THE RED SHOES.  I will see Matthew Bourne's marvelous balletic production again.  I hope we don't have to wait an interminable 5 years for the next Matthew Bourne/New Adventures Production.