Swan Lake
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The full four acts, the Ardenne corps at thirty-two, and a lakeside that is genuinely dark — we have stopped apologising for the second act.
A coming of age, observed rather than celebrated. The prince is given a crossbow and told what is expected of him.
The lakeside. Twenty-four swans, then thirty-two, then a woman.
The ballroom, six princesses, and an impostor who dances better than the original.
The lake again, in weather. The company dances the 1895 ending.
Our staging goes back to the 1974 production and has been re-notated twice since. The company dances the Ivanov lakeside acts close to what was written down, and Sable Oduya’s new first act replaces the usual birthday pantomime with something colder and more courtly.
Thirty-two swans is more than most houses attempt. It is the reason this production only runs in a season where the corps is at full strength.