For those who have not seen a ballet before once or the defining feature is the fact that there is no dialogue throughout the whole performance. This means that the performers have to go above and beyond to portray the nuances of the story through the medium of dance. Even though there were no words at all in the show I found myself totally transfixed with the show and thought the powerful movements were able to create purposeful characters that invoke empathy from the audience. I do have to admit that as I had not watched the Disney movie, it did take me a little while to fully comprehend the storyline (as it is very fantastical) but once every character was established it was easy to understand. I would say that for the most enjoyment, I would recommend watching the movie beforehand and this production would be perfect for a Tim Burton-obsessed fans as, despite being an exact replica of the storyline, the ballet format is a totally different medium of delivering this iconic storyline. On top of this, those who have not seen a Matthew Borne production before will not be aware that his version of shows is not your traditional ballet adaptation. He possesses a much more unique and contemporary viewpoint of the art form. That is actually a scene in the show where the performers are not in the traditional ballet outfit but instead in swimming shorts which shows a more modern view of the genre.
One of my favourite sequences in the entire show happened at the beginning of the production where Edward Scissorhand himself has just been brought to life. After the aforementioned Frankenstein-inspired routine, Edward finally gains the essence of life itself but what was very clever was that the movements were constructed in such a way that it appeared that the character was getting used to his body and how to control his limbs. Through a series of unique and mesmerising movements, Liam started the routine on the floor and began purposefully contorting his body in such a way that appeared like he did not have total autonomy of his body yet. The choreography is built as the character gets to grips with the different body parts and finally gets to his feet where we finally see the incredible character work really shine through. Every single moment that Liam is on the stage he maintains the Johnny-deep-infused flamboyance of the character by layering the perfect amount of exaggerated facial reactions and physicality which makes for a highly transfixing performance. Even when the character was not the focus of a routine, I found myself searching for what they were doing and how they were reacting to the locals bursting into dance and every single time Liam was totally present and maintained this highly unorthodox persona. The other highlight for me came at the end of the routine as Edward and Kim finally embraced their production-long romance in a graveyard. Both Liam and Kerry are clearly highly skilled and talented dancers with the two clearly highly incredible chemistry both on and off stage. What was particularly interesting about this duet is the fact that fans of ballet will know that traditional romantic duets see the male dancers lift and support their female counterparts however Liam had (as his character name suggests) scissors for hand which would have made it incredibly difficult for him to hold his partner. The choreography team had clearly considered this when building this routine and so the pair showcased a series of unique workarounds. Liam used multiple body parts including his back, shoulders, and hips to elevate his partner which not only demonstrated the intimacy of the two characters but also touched on traditional ballet duet traditions in a contemporary and creative way!
The entire show was bookended with some fantastically creative staging that portrayed two drastically different environments. The audience was watching these two respective scenes through a series of screens that made it look as if it was raining/snowing on stage but the actors remained totally unscathed which I know is a massive issue in these weather-heavy scenes. Not only did this look amazing but also stopped the actors from becoming overwhelmed with artificial weather conditions which is such a clever inclusion! One of my favourite moments in the entire production saw the amazing supporting dancers grace the stage dressed as moving topiary. It took me a very long time to realise that the unique forestry decorations were actually dancers in costume which showed not only how incredible the costume was but also the control the performers had of every inch of their body. The ballet/modelling hybrid dance style was perfectly constructed to depict the dream sequence which tied into an earlier scene where Edward is celebrated for his tree-sculpting abilities. One of the more spectacular scenes happens at the end of the musical as the local villagers begin to turn on Edward (after a tragic accident occurs) and the titular character is thrown into a Christmas tree which causes the festive decoration to erupt with sparks which must have been a very intense scene to be apart of especially for Edward who is inches from the exploding prop. This leads to that amazing routine where Edward and his love dance in a graveyard which then turns into a sequence where Edward appears to vanish into thin air on the stage!
Overall, despite having not seen the original Disney movie then incredible performers were able to portray the entire plot without the use of dialogue and simply through the medium of dance. Going in I was a little concerned that it would be a traditional ballet which in my opinion can become tiresome very quickly but Matthew Borne has created a contemporary and spectacular production that had the audience hooked for the very first moment!Liam Mower as Edward Scissor hands is an incredible casting choice with their dance and acting abilities fusing together to create an incredible portrayal of one of Tim Burton’s most iconic characters! I would rate this production 4.5 stars out of 5!
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