REVIEW: Matthew Bourne’s Production of The Red Shoes, at Milton Keynes Theatre

A deeply emotional, dark and compelling ballet where obsession and fate dance hand in hand.

The Red Shoes is a haunting and visually stunning ballet exploring the devastating cost of artistic obsession and the impossible tension between love and ambition.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s dark fairy tale, a story I have long adored for it’s beauty and unsettling moral, alongside the wonderful 1948 film adaptation, Matthew Bourne’s interpretation reimagines the tale with clarity and great emotional depth.

Blending darkness with his trademark brightness, humour, flamboyant theatricality and imagination, Bourne creates a world where reality and fantasy merge in a deeply absorbing way.

Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, the story follows Victoria Page (Cordelia Braithwaite), a young dancer driven by dreams of greatness who joins the prestigious Ballet Lermontov under the watchful and commanding eye of impresario Boris Lermontov (Andy Monaghan).

There she meets passionate composer Julian Craster (Dominic North), and the pair fall deeply in love.

Lermontov, however, demands complete dedication to art, leaving Victoria torn between her heart and her ambition – a struggle that forms the emotional backbone of the production.

The visual and theatrical elements are breathtaking. Lez Brotherson’s set and costume design, supported by seamless lighting and projection, creates a cinematic environment that moves effortlessly between backstage realism and dreamlike fantasy.

Intensely clever staging dissolves the boundary between performance and reality, often making it difficult to separate one from the other.

Even in its darker moments, Bourne’s distinctive flair shines through, with flashes of wit, bold imagery and inventive touches that bring vibrant energy to the stage. This fluid storytelling mirrors Victoria’s gradual descent into obsession, drawing the audience further into her world.

At the centre of the show sits the spectacular “ballet within the ballet,” The Red Shoes itself – a performance that is both dazzling and unsettling.

The red shoes become a striking symbol of compulsion and entrapment, heightened through stylised imagery: stark monochrome scenes broken by flashes of vivid red, swirling leaves and gusting winds that make Victoria’s turmoil feel completely tangible.

The seamless visual shifts create a constantly changing atmosphere that is completely absorbing.

The choreography is equally compelling through its contrast. The central ballet is stylised, romantic and heightened, while rehearsal and company scenes feel grounded and naturalistic.

Bourne balances emotional intensity with moments of theatrical brightness and playful character detail, reflecting both the glamour and pressures of the dance world.

The evocative music by Bernard Herrmann underscores the action with sweeping intensity, capturing passion, tension and longing while deepening the emotional landscape.

Cordelia Braithwaite delivers a magnetic and deeply moving portrayal of Victoria, balancing fragility with fierce determination, supported by a superb ensemble that brings authenticity throughout. The atmosphere throughout is spellbinding, magical and utterly gripping.

I found myself completely carried away by its world, as though the story quietly drew me inside it.

For me, you don’t have to understand dance to admire it. Every movement carries strength, sacrifice, dedication and a passion that inspires everyone watching. Dancers don’t just perform, they share their heart, their story and their love through every step. As Matthew Bourne says, “a personal love letter to a life spent in theatre and dance”.

The Red Shoes is a triumph of storytelling, design and dance. It’s emotionally powerful and visually mesmerising. With the mix of drama, surreal spectacle and moments of dark humour, it’s a sweeping, emotionally charged ballet where obsession and fate dance hand in hand.

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