Last night saw the start of a rush of shows and gigs in the run-up to Christmas - expect some frantic blogging Constant Reader.
First off the rank was Matthew Bourne's adaptation of the Tim Burton film EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. As usual with New Adventures I missed this the first time round but as our Matthew *works* his children I caught it at it's current residency at Sadler's Wells.

Ultimately I found it a bit disappointing. As you know Constant Reader from previous blogs, I am a card-carrying fan of Matthew Bourne but with the under-heated DORIAN GRAY earlier this year I am beginning to wonder whether the New Adventures team might need a regroup.

What I found to be an irritant for most of the show was the lack of genuine thrilling dance - what makes his earlier work so exciting. Here there seemed to be endless dancing 'cute'. The delightful aspect to his earlier shows was that even in the darkest subject matter - as in SWAN LAKE - there were also witty vignettes that bring the productions that spark of humanity which I suspect is what has made them so beloved. Here it just seemed to be all vignette.

I think this possibly is inherent with working from Tim Burton's source film. For all his vaunted gothic weirdness, there is also a huge sentimental streak in his work that here is ramped up and the underlying dark theme of an outsider destined to remain this way is only felt literally in the last 15 minutes or so.

An initial set-up scene changes the passage of Edward into "reality" - in the film Mrs. Boggs discovers him alone in the old dark house when she calls as an Avon lady, here the kids of the town break into the house scaring his inventor to a heart attack and leaving Edward to wander off into the neighbourhood. All well and good, but then there was one of several ensemble numbers which sought to introduce you to the different neighbours of the Boggs family who have take Edward in.
Once is okay - there is the family next door with the sex-mad wife Joyce, there is the religious family, the slob family, the Mayor's posh family with the nasty son etc. But soon after this set-up there is a second scene where the Bogg's throw a yard party to introduce Edward which again introduces you to the family next door, the religious family etc. etc. So much time seems to be taken up with this scene-setting of minor characters that by the interval I was hard pressed to remember any actual pure dance moments as the stage had been constantly given over to quirky step routines. Surely if you are adapting a spoken piece for dance you need to express what the characters are feeling in solos, duets etc.
The plot-heavy second half however saw the needed change with a fun scene with Joyce attempting to seduce Edward which lead into a nice scene with Edward and Kim, the Boggs' daughter who is slowly falling for this strange boy. For the first time there was a hint of magic as they danced around the ice sculpure Edward was carving in her honour. But sure enough it was time for another ensemble number at a Christmas party which was certainly the best one of the evening but again I felt that it had nothing to do with the central story.

It's at the party that Edward is ostracised by the community after an accident which is misread by the townspeople who chase him back to the old dark house and a final showdown with the young bully who now hates Edward for his relationship with Kim. And here finally, FINALLY there was a pas-de-deux between Edward and Kim that was worthy of Bourne's reputation.
Full of longing and sadness, it finally brought a heart to what had previously felt like a series of 'turns' with overly-broad characterisations. This was carried through to the ending with the now-old Kim returning to the ruin of the old house, remembering her special friend as his shadow falls across the sky. I must admit that this last section made the evening finally worthwhile added to the crowd-pleasing coda when Edward, with a swipe of his blades, magics snow into the auditorium.Apart from a few of the principals the company are given few opportunities to properly shine. Dominic North gave a touching performance as Edward, as the choreography hardly gives him any opportunity to do anything other than make the audience go "ahhh", it is to his credit he at times hinted at the tragedy in Edward's life. Noi Tolmer as Kim was at her best in her two duets with North which she danced beautifully. Two Bourne doyennes gave the best supporting performances: Etta Murfitt was good as Mrs. Boggs who opens her home to Edward and Nina Goldman was an over-the-top Joyce opening more than her home to him. Adam Galbraith also deserves a mention as Bill, Kim's boyfriend and tormentor of Edward.

Maybe now is the time for Matthew Bourne to come up with something totally his own, totally unique.