Review: Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands

Through his rendition of ‘Edward Scissorhands’, Matthew Bourne demonstrates that you don't need words to create an emotional, engaging story full of humour and life. Indeed, before watching Matthew Bourne’s ‘Edward Scissorhands’, I understood that Bourne uses Large, grandiose sets that create an amazing spectacle through their bright and vibrant colours. Furthermore, Bourne tends to interweave the more mature moments with sprinkles of humour and silliness to create a charming tone enjoyable to children and adults alike. Looking at the dancing, we see that Bourne often seamlessly combines many different styles of dances throughout all his shows, but what stands out for me about his dancing, however, is their symmetry. Overall, Bourne is a master in the art of making whimsical, lively, colourful shows, yet not afraid of stepping into the darker, more serious moments, intended for the whole family.

With these expectations in mind, I certainly was not disappointed in his portrayal of ‘Edward Scissorhands’. This mystical aura was presented to us with another grand set, once again bursting with colour. Bourne’s methods of intertwining the darker moments with sprinkles of comedy were amplified here, which was to be expected from a darker piece such as Edward Scissorhands. But alas, Bourne finds this middle line perfectly, making his piece both dark and scary and silly and fun. What did surprise me, however, was the fact that this show was quite a bit more risqué than some of his other pieces. Perhaps this was to be expected from a such like this, but it still left me shocked. Moreover, diverting our attention to the dancing, I felt like the dances in Edward Scissorhands were generally looser and less organized. This is certainly not a critique, as this more chaotic feel gave the whole show a larger sense of life, particularly with the families and their large group numbers. This was not always the case though, for, in the scene with the dancing bushes, there was indeed a huge sense of symmetry and organization, which further demonstrates Bourne’s combination of dance styles.

But what did I actually think about the performance? I can wholeheartedly say that it was wonderful - I was in awe of the huge scale and expressive colours in both the set and costumes. The stand-out costumes, for me at least, were undoubtedly those of the dancing bushes, which were absolutely stunning. Furthermore, the silliness of the families and their whole dynamic was incredible, the fact that the cast was so big also really aided this, it genuinely felt like a bustling community - It was impossible not to wear a smile whenever they were on screen. However, in contrast to the aura of the families, there is Edward Scissorhands. Unfortunately, I simply wasn’t too engaged with him, particularly in the first act, for he brought a (undeniably impressive) more serious approach to the whole production. Thankfully, as he became more integrated with the community, he began to blend in with the charm of the rest of the characters. Finally, I found that the tone was perfect. The more sentimental moments hit just as much as the goofier ones, and I do believe that the children will enjoy this just as much as the adults. Overall, Matthew Bourne’s ‘Edward Scissorhands’ left me very impressed.