' I think, that if I touched the earth,
It would crumble;
It is so sad and beautiful,
So tremulously like a dream.'



31/01/2015

REVIEW: Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands is a shear delight

After ten years, Matthew Bourne has revived his critically acclaimed stage interpretation of Tim Burton’s cinematic masterpiece, Edward Scissorhands, brought to life by his dance theatre company, New Adventures. It recently kicked off its nationwide tour after a successful month-long residence at London Sadlers Wells theatre over Christmas and is currently performing at Liverpool’s Empire theatre.

This unique modern fairy tale of how society reacts to the outsider and how it treats all those who are different has unquestionably become a cult-classic. One day, a clever, but lonely old inventor decides to create a son; and so, using his ingenious skills, Edward is brought to life. However, the old man passes away before he can replace his creation’s frightening scissor appendages with hands and innocent Edward is unwittingly left alone and incomplete. When he finally ventures beyond the grounds of his father’s crumbling mansion, he is taken in by the family of a caring Avon saleswoman and falls in love with her teenage daughter, Kim. Thanks to his strange appearance and the whacky, imaginative hedge sculptures and haircuts he produces, Edward quickly becomes flavour of the month with the town’s residents – but it can’t last, and as the tide turns and opinions change everything begins to fall apart.

Before it finally premiered in 2005, the first dance production of Edward Scissorhands took over seven years to be developed. Bourne believes he would have given up hope of the project ever coming to fruition but for the support of the film’s creators: director and all-round fantastical genius, Tim Burton;  composer, Danny Elfman, whose score for the film has become an iconic fairy tale soundtrack and is retained in the stage adaption; and skilled screenwriter, Caroline Thompson, who also helped co-adapt new stage version. “I was overwhelmed, during this time,” says Bourne, “by the kindness and trust that they each showed me in handing over what I knew was a very personal and beloved project for each of them. […] I only hope […] that we have done justice to the spirit of their unique cinematic version.”

Unafraid, as ever, to stamp his own mark onto renowned and much loved works, Bourne has daringly added a striking new addition to the plot, creating a prologue that reveals to us the tragic reasons why the inventor decides to create Edward in the first place.

In addition, he takes the essence of some of the larger than life inhabitants of Hope Springs that we recognise from the film, developing and transforming them into entire families for a more defined and contrasting patchwork of suburban life that still successfully channels the comedy of the original. For example, Burton’s fanatically religious neighbour becomes a whole god-fearing, judgemental family complete with Goth son, and a garish family of hicks set up their lawn chairs next to the pin-up perfection of the local mayor and mayoress’s offspring. As always with a Bourne creation, the set and costumes, both designed by Lez Brotherstone, are mesermising and perfectly compliment the performance.

Some aspects of the creative changes, however, don’t come without a certain loss. In Burton’s film we see lucky, strong-hearted and unerringly decent character of mother figure Peg Boggs fearlessly visit the ominous mansion that broods over the town, discover the lonely Edward, and usher him into the colourful, 50s-isinpired world he only ever spied from afar. Yet, Bourne’s Peg simply discovers Edward as he wanders the streets in confusion, and although she is kind and loving, the prominence of her role is significantly lessened and there is a sense that she merges a little too completely into the background as a slightly more mundane 50s housewife character.

Of course, to a die-hard fan, in the re-adaption of such a timeless cult-classic there will always be something at which to nit-pick. Yet, the change is a forgivable one when considering the difficulty of translating the heart-breaking emotion of the original work into expressive dance choreography. Nevertheless, Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands is a triumph.

Talented young Dominic North wins the hearts of audience members with his excellent portrayal of Edward (also played by Liam Mow) and overcomes the challenge of handling the scissor blades that are part of his costume effortlessly. All the company’s dancers, without exception, are immensely gifted. Larger scenes featuring the full cast of over twenty are truly a feast for the eyes, with little character quirks played out wherever you look, thanks to the careful attention of Bourne’s devoted choreographic detail.

One particularly memorable and beautiful scene portrays Edward and Kim, as they dance within a magical dream sequence where the topiary figures Edward sculpts whimsically come to life. Another re-enacts the famous scene as Edward sculpts an angel out of ice and Kim dances entranced in the snow-like flakes that fall below, all with gorgeously balletic choreography.

Touring until mid-march, regardless of whether or not you are a fan of Bourne’s work or even of dance, everyone must seize the fleeting opportunity to catch this magical work for the second time before it’s over for good.

As if on cue, as the curtain falls in Liverpool, flurries of snow roll into the city and across the North West - you can’t help but wonder if Edward is behind it all.

For more information about the show and for tour dates, visit Matthew Bourne's New Adventures website here.


Photos by Johan Persson

19/01/2015

Readdressing the Art of Correspondence: Letters and Love Parcels

Nowadays, keeping in touch with family and friends can be done in seconds. Whip out our phones and we can chat instantly via a hundred different apps pretty much anywhere, anytime we like. With that in mind, the thought of putting aside time to endure the inconvenience of even writing an email – never mind a letter – to a friend would seem, to many, a Herculean task worthy of a medal.  

In the 21st century, the act of writing something so long that isn’t a kind of business handover or Facebook profile bio just to connect with someone you love, not to mention the prospect of having to potentially wait days for a response, seems unnatural, unfathomable, and quite frankly unnecessary.

A letter won’t function like, say, a Whatsapp conversation where replies to everything we write are instantaneous and inevitably shape and change the direction of the dialogue before we’ve quite finished what we’re even trying to say. 

Instead, you have to sit down and do a bit of personal reflection; think back to recent events in your life and wonder about those happening in the life of a friend.

Just imagine... You receive a reply in the post after having poured your heart out in a letter to a friend days before. You tentatively tear open the envelope. You unfold the piece of paper within, and staring back at you is nothing but a giant, solitary, sad-faced emoticon. It’s a laughable thought, yet why we don’t bat an eyelid when that exact thing arrives to each of us every day in mobile format? The trap of developing a habit of detached insincerity when interacting with a screen can be all too easy to fall into.

Recently, a close friend of mine moved away – not terribly far, but far enough to impact on how often we see each other. Before she left, we made a promise to become pen pals. Ever since then, an envelope arrives through the letterbox every once in a while to surprise me and never fails to brighten my day.

It’s so meaningful to know that someone cares enough to put pen to paper, go out, buy a stamp, and track down a post box. A letter is such a delicate thing, but is so reassuringly real; it’s a physically tangible reminder of how important you are to somebody. 

And why does it have to stop at a simple letter? You could share that song lyric or line of poetry that’s been floating about your mind on repeat, doodle a little work of art; slip in a fallen autumn leaf from the garden that caught your eye or an old postcard you discovered of a place you love.

A unique art project, The Love Parcel, took life in late 2012, and is the creative brain child of Miranda Smith, who is on a one-woman mission to spread all the eponymous love she can through the humble medium of your local postman.

Please, Mr Postman: creator of The Love Parcel project, Miranda Smith
The concept is simple. Make the effort to create a little package of captivating ephemera; send it off to Miranda at The Love Parcel HQ in Maryland, U.S.A; keep an eye on your post box and maybe sooner, maybe later, no matter where you are in the world, you’ll receive a special parcel that she has lovingly spent time putting together – just for you. No catch. No ulterior motives. Just a heartfelt, personal experience for its own sake shared with a stranger, all inspired by her memories of maintaining childhood friendships through being pen pals.

“I like to think of it as ‘treasure trading’”, reveals Miranda. “We connect to one another from near and far through carefully assembled parcels filled with surprises. By connecting our present day selves with an archaic form of communication, we will know that someone, somewhere, loves us.”

Haven’t time to make something yourself, or just can’t bear the wait? You can purchase a readymade parcel or zine from her mini online shop, where any proceeds are channeled into keeping the project running. Miranda shares stunning pictures of the things she sends and receives on The Love Parcel Instagram feed, now with over 30,000 followers and counting, to encourage more and more people to join the snail mail revolution.

“There is no better feeling than receiving something that isn’t a bill in your mailbox and the only way to make that feeling even greater is by not knowing what exactly it is that you’re about to open. Human beings are drawn to mystery and the unknown and I’ve made it my mission to perfect the element of surprise in what is now an archaic, yet highly romantic, form of communication.”

It’s amazing how even the smallest effort can make the biggest smile, so why not ready those postage stamps and get #loveparceling to your nearest and dearest too?


To find out more about The Love Parcel, visit the Instagram feed: @theloveparcel or check out the website: www.theloveparcel.com


A beautiful example of all the touching handmade parcels that Miranda sends and receives daily

All images used are the property of Miranda Smith/The Love Parcel
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