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12 Phonebox Magazine | March 2025Tchaikovsky%u2019s masterpiece Swan Lake has generated many diff erent theatre productions over its lifetime, but among the best is visionary Matthew Bourne%u2019s version. It%u2019s coming to Milton Keynes, as Phonebox%u2019s Tom Johnston found out.Swanning AroundChoreographer Sir Matthew Bourne has laid his magic touch upon many popular and well-known pieces %u2013 among them The Nutcracker, Edward Scissorhands, Dorian Gray and The Red Shoes.But Tchaikovsky%u2019s Swan Lake has also received the master%u2019s treatment. Bourne%u2019s groundbreaking production of the Russian composer%u2019s work caused a sensation when it premiered almost 30 years ago, and it has since become the most successful dance theatre production of all time. In celebration of that ongoing impact, Matthew Bourne%u2019s Swan Lake will take fl ight once again in this major revival, as the next generation of dancers brings it to new audiences across the UK. It%u2019s a big tour, stretching way into June and taking in cities including Birmingham, Liverpool, Dublin, Aberdeen, Newcastle and Cardiff . And along the way the Swans land in Milton Keynes for fi ve days.Thrilling, bold, witty and emotive, this genre-defi ning event is still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention, turning tradition on its head. First staged at Sadler%u2019s Wells in London in 1995, Matthew Bourne%u2019s Swan Lake took the dance theatre world by storm, becoming the longestrunning full-length dance classic in the West End and on Broadway. It has since been performed across the globe, collecting over 30 international accolades, including the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and three Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.Making their debuts as The Swan/The Stranger are rising stars from Bourne%u2019s New Adventures dance company, Harrison Dowzell, Jackson Fisch and Rory Macleod, alongside James Lovell, Leonardo McCorkindale and Stephen Murray as The Prince, Nicole Kabera and Ashley Shaw as The Queen, Katrina Lyndon as The Queen and the Girlfriend, and Bryony Wood as the Girlfriend.%u201cIt%u2019s hard to believe that our Swan Lake is now 30 years old and even harder to acknowledge that we are now casting most Swans and Princesses who were not even born at the time of the show%u2019s premiere,%u201d said Sir Matthew.%u201cMany dancers have grown up with this production and dreaming of one day dancing in it, so I am particularly excited to announce this line-up of young performers.%u201d%u201cMany of these dancers have been nurtured through our talent development programmes at New Adventures, notably Swan School. I know from experience what a life-changing experience this show has been for previous casts and how it has inspired new audiences for dance throughout the world. %u201cI am therefore truly thrilled to welcome the next generation of swans and swan watchers as we celebrate three decades of our Swan Lake.%u201dMatthew Bourne%u2019s Swan Lake is at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th April.