The true
test of a great show is when the audience leaves wondering how the time could
have possibly elapsed so quickly. Another is when the dance moves all look completely
effortless, but you know that they are anything but easy. This is the power
that choreographer/director Matthew Bourne holds with all of his dance
productions. As the puppeteer who manipulates the strings, Bourne leaves you spellbound
as a visionary fairytale is woven in front of your eyes. If you couldn’t tell
already, I highly recommend Bourne’s work, having previously attended
performances of Swan Lake (find my
review here), Sleeping Beauty, and Nutcracker!
Now I am able to add Edward
Scissorhands to my ever-growing list. The show ends its run at Sadler’s
Wells Theatre this month on the 11th. All tickets unsurprisingly sold out, so
I apologize that they will be unavailable to purchase after I rave about it!
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| It's probably best that my friend and I leave it to the professionals... |
Bourne
wanted to rework Edward Scissorhands for
the stage ever since he saw the 1990 film directed by Tim Burton. The film has
become a cult classic in its own right and usually pops up on television
screens around Christmastime, just as it did this past year. If you don’t know
the story, it follows quirky outsider Edward, who is the unfinished creation of
an inventor who died before completing the job. Edward’s quest for love and
acceptance proves not to be so easy, as his many efforts are thwarted and made
more difficult due to having scissors for hands. The cookie cutter suburban town
Edward finds himself in doesn’t know what has hit it!
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| Johnny Depp, the Edward Scissorhands we have come to know and love, "teetered on the verge of tears throughout" Matthew Bourne's production and paid a visit to the cast backstage, photo courtesy of Sky TV |
Edward Scissorhands is a beautiful story in general,
but when it’s coupled with tender dancing to music from Danny Elfman and Terry
Davies, we are left with an even more melancholic and enchanting story. As with
all of Bourne’s productions, the stage is a hotbed of activity. Since no
talking is involved, the dancers have to rely on relaying nonverbal cues and
facial expressions to the audience. This assumes a certain amount of perception
from the audience members, because with such a busy atmosphere, it is up to us
what we decide to hone in on and what we decide to leave in the periphery.
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| Domesticating Edward, photo courtesy of Johan Persson |
For
example, take the scene where the residents attend a Christmas dance. Edward
starts to feel awkward and ashamed as he sizes up the dancers around him, each
with two perfect hands. He cowers away from the dance floor, opting instead to
slope around the outskirts. The embarrassment on his face is apparent and the
longing he feels for Kim, who is dancing with her boyfriend Jim, is written all
over his face. I divided my attention between the rest of the cast dancing and
Edward, because by himself, his body language and pained visage told a story of
its own accord. Details like this are precisely what will draw audiences to
Bourne’s productions over and over again. Your observational skills and level of appreciation will continue to grow right alongside your number of
viewings.
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| Photo courtesy of Johan Persson |
The idyllic neighborhood is made up of quaint homes and quaint people. The houses are
painted in cheery hues, with cheery faces that emerge and retreat from their
doors. There are the obligatory cheerleaders, jocks, doting mothers, and
hardworking fathers. Despite appearances, the town holds its fair share of
secrets as well. Joyce is a lonely housewife who regularly cheats on her
husband and that shines through in her brilliant, sexualized dancing persona.
She tries to seduce a very confused and frightened Edward, while the religious
fanatics try to repel Edward with their crosses and prayers.
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| Photo courtesy of Johan Persson |
The
breathtaking set borrows recognizable Burton-esque elements from the film. However,
as to be expected, there are unique alterations that add a spin to the
original. Edward finds nifty alternative uses for his “hands,” such as pruning
bushes and hedges into animals, ice carving (which involves a scene with a
gorgeous ice angel sculpture prop), and even making a job out of giving the
neighbors “edgy” new haircuts. The production introduces a lovely dream
sequence where Edward imagines that he has real hands. He is able to
flirtatiously chase Kim around a garden made up of shrubs and trees decorated
into shapes, which are actually people. They playfully join Edward and Kim’s
game, concealing and revealing the two blissful imaginary lovebirds.
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| Edward and Kim share a tender moment, photo courtesy of Johan Persson |
As for Dominic
North, who plays our antihero Edward, anyone who can forgo opposable thumbs, trade
them in for workable scissors (albeit false ones), and still manage to dance
gracefully must automatically be dubbed as a seriously standout dancer. Indeed,
North was nominated for Outstanding Male Dancer at the National Dance Awards in
2010. The irony of Edward Scissorhands though
is the fact that Edward is gentle and peaceful. He doesn’t use his
“scissorhands” with malicious intent, although he could well do. Jim, however, is rough and ready with his hands, using force with Kim and having
an eventual blowout with Edward.
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| The neighborhood kids, with Kim and Jim front and center, photo courtesy of Johan Persson |
The story
stands as a testament to human nature; we lash out against and attack what we
don’t understand. Just as we are about to claim that nice guys don’t always
finish last and Edward and Kim finally kiss, Edward is exiled once more to his former
house upon the hill. As the cast took their final curtain call, they stayed in
character until the very end, and as the applause subsided, we were all left
wondering how the time could have possibly elapsed so quickly.
For
upcoming performances at Sadler’s Wells, visit the theatre’s website here. Explore the Edward Scissorhands production on the New Adventures website here. New Adventures is Bourne’s
company with co-director Robert Noble.
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| Photo courtesy of Johan Persson |
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