Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Sadler’s Wells

Matthew  Bourne's Swan Lake is nothing short of a modern classic. His complete re-versioning of the ballet – famous for its all-male swan chorus - premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 1995 and has since become the longest running dance productions in the West End, touring the world to enormous acclaim and a string of more than 30 international awards.

The production returns to its spiritual home, Sadler’s Wells, this December for its seventh London season. If you’ve never seen Bourne’s iconic re-imagining of the story – featuring a deeply unhappy prince whose longing for a life outside of ceremony and stale public engagements is reignited through his encounter with The Swan - now is your chance.

Even so, with a permanently changing cast - guaranteeing each experience of the production to be unique - there are a host of reasons to refresh your memory if you’ve seen it before. We’re particularly excited to see two Swan stalwarts cast in the title role, with former Northern Ballet star Jonathan Ollivier beginning the run in December, and Chris Trenfield taking over in January 2014 on his return from the US tour of Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty. We also can’t wait to see The Prince danced by the monumentally talented Liam Mower, the original Olivier award-winning star (appropriately enough) of the West End’s Billy Elliot. Don’t take our word alone: Bourne was himself buzzing about the forthcoming performances after just one week of rehearsal, tweeting: 'Commitment, energy and talent oozing out of every sweaty pore! Bravo swan men!!'

Tickets: £12-£60

Address and Map: Sadler's Wells,  Roseberry Ave, London EC1R 4TN  

Nearest Tube: Angel