What Wendy's Watching: Can The Red Shoes Ever Really Be Contemporary?

October 30, 2017

We are back at New York City Center for The Red Shoes. Matthew Bourne’s sumptuous version sticks with the story told in the wildly popular 1948 film. I have to admit I’m not crazy about the idea that Victoria Page, a beautiful young dancer, must choose between work and love. Plus, it uses ballet, once again in popular culture, as a destructive force. But this production is by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, so the sets and costumes are (ahem) to die for.

For New Yorkers, a special indulgence: On select nights, New York City Ballet’s Sara Mearns plays Victoria Page, and American Ballet Theatre’s Marcelo Gomes (a 2015 Dance Magazine Awardee) plays the composer who falls for her.

The Red Shoes
is up at NY City Center until Nov. 5. Click here for more information.