Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - The Next Generation, Sadler's Wells

As powerful today as it was when it premiered just under 30 years ago to upend our perception of ballet, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake takes over Sadler's Wells this festive season, offering a welcome change from the more conventional Christmas fare you can find in theatres across the capital.

Subtitled 'The Next Generation', this revival of Bourne's masterpiece targets new generations of dancers, many of whom weren't even born when it first hit the stage at Sadler's Wells in 1995; and the same goes for the new audiences that cannot fail to be moved by what remains one of the most inspired takes ever on this classical ballet.

Bourne's coup was to turn the graceful, timorous all-female corps of the traditional Swan Lake into a flock of strong, aggressive male swans, led by the charismatic figure of The Swan, who appears to fulfil the dreams of a sad, weak prince who feels out of place in the blingy, corrupt court ruled by his overbearing mother. Bourne combines cutting social criticism with moments of extraordinarily sensitive beauty, while keeping Tchaikovsky's much loved score.



Matthew Bourne's multi-award winning Swan Lake became the longest running dance theatre show in the West End and Broadway. It's been performed across the world; and as you read this it is very likely that a production of this work is being performed somewhere .

Despite its very long run (no performances on Christmas Day or New Year's Day) it's bound to sell out quickly, so early booking is advisable.