The film version of Matthew Bourne’s charming ballet of Tim Burton’s iconic 1990 film, Edward Scissorhands, is a spectacle not to be missed.
In a mansion on a hill, an eccentric Dr Coppelius-like inventor creates a creature with scissors for hands.
After the death of his father, Peg Boggs (Kerry Biggin) invites the lonely creature to join her family.
Edward (Liam Mower), the oddball outsider, falls in love with Peg’s daughter, Kim (Ashley Shaw).
He tries his best to fit in with the residents of the strange new world of Hope Springs, a typical 1950s picket-fenced American town.
This stunning production, with sets and costumes designed by Lez Brotherson, has many quirky elements.
Visual gags such as pink and blue Y-fronts on the same-sex couple’s washing line and Edward trying to ride a space hopper bring a cartoonish lightness to its darker themes.
A scene where Kim Boggs’ cheerleading poster “comes alive” provides another original detail.
With music adapted from Danny Elfman’s original film score by Terry Davies, the production is a visual and audible feast.
Mower is excellent in the title role, bringing vulnerability and pathos to Edward’s awkward, stilted physicality.
Shaw brings empathy and a cheery disposition to her role as teen cheerleader Kim Boggs.
Despite the awkward scissor hands, Mower and Shaw perform beautiful duet sequences with dancing topiaries and an ice sculpture.
Some impressive ensemble dance sequences, including a teen beach party and a Christmas ball, reflect Bourne’s imaginative choreography.
Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands is a fabulous, whimsical production and a perfect way to introduce ballet to young people.