Review of Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes at Milton Keynes Theatre

Sir Matthew Bourne has rightfully become the doyen of accessible contemporary ballet, with his works spanning a wide range, from Swan Lake, Lord of the Flies, and Edward Scissorhands to The Red Shoes, now here at Milton Keynes on an extensive tour.

Based broadly on the 1948 film of the same name, The Red Shoes, set across Europe, follows the story of ballerina Victoria Page, discovered by ballet impresario Boris Lermontov. He requests that a ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale The Red Shoes be written by the composer Julian Craster, whom Page falls deeply in love with. A conflict arises, and Page must choose between love and success.

The first impact on any audience of The Red Shoes is visually on the costumes and set. This is, without any question, a spectacular staging. Lez Brotherston, responsible for both costumes and set, has created a gem. The striking costumes effectively recreate the period in minute detail, placing the audience very much in the 40s/50s. Alongside this, Brotherston's truly spectacular set tries very much to steal the show with a striking curtain and proscenium arch that rotate and slide, allowing our eyes to know whether we are the front-of-house audience or peering deeply into the behind-the-scenes friction. Truly brilliant.

On this set are, of course, our performers, and, as expected, they are the best of the best, put together by Bourne. The usual rotating ballet cast saw in the leads for this performance: Cordelia Braithwaite as Victoria, Andy Monaghan as Boris, and Dominic North as Julian, and all are beautiful to watch.

Braithwaite has a delicate approach to her character's story, journeying from a bright-eyed youth to the later challenges of love and stardom, trapped by the red shoes' pull. Alongside her, Monagham is more dominant as the discoverer of this new star, controlling, protective, and wary of the love blossoming within the young pair of Page and Craster. North’s composer, Craster, is the polar opposite of the controlling Boris. Struggling financially, he is a quiet soul, more delicate in his emotions and movements.

The large ensemble is sublime to watch and, under Bourne’s exemplary choreography, is rife with subtle nuances of character and movement, many hidden away to one side of the main storytelling. Scenes like in Covent Garden and later in an old music hall are busy with little moments of humour and characterisation, easily missed on first viewing. Watch out especially for the sneaky little ventriloquist's dummy.

Musically, Terry Davies takes the works of legendary composer Bernard Herrmann and brings a continuous orchestral flow to the show, allowing the performers to keep moving.

Some of the storytelling can indeed get muddied during the scenes; however, as ever with Matthew Bourne productions, The Red Shoes is carried to a visual and entertaining high that outweighs any quibbles and is very much worth a watch by anyone, even with a slight persuasion to the world of ballet or contemporary dance.

A balletic cinematic spectacular.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 10th February, 2026 at the Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes.

Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, 14th February 2026.

For further details about Milton Keynes, see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

For further details of the tour, see the website at https://www.new-adventures.net/the-red-shoes

Photographs: Johan Persson

Review of Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Cruel Intentions , released in the final year of the nineties, is a fondly regarded classic from the era, rammed with a collection of young and up-and-coming stars. Based on the classic Les Liaisons dangereuses , Roger Kumble's nineties update was clever and current; however, a quarter of a century later and now playing at Royal & Derngate, does it still work, and more importantly, does it work as a musical? The quick answer to the latter is no, but theatre persists, so what about the story? Kumble's adaptation tells of two wealthy step-siblings, Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteul, sex-obsessed, constantly warring, and attracted to one another. When they begin a bet for Sebastian to deflower the new headmaster's daughter, Annette Hargrove, before the start of term, events spiral quickly out of control. Following in the footsteps of the well-remembered performers from the film does weigh on the cast. Will Callan, playing Sebastian, and Nic Myers, as Kathryn, are fine ...

Review of Annie at Milton Keynes Theatre

Annie was first performed now a remarkable fifty years ago at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and since then, the tale based on a 1920s comic strip and adapted for the stage by Thomas Meehan on book, with music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics provided by Martin Charnin, has become a perennial favourite across the world. Indeed, this version, directed by Nikolai Foster, last appeared at Milton Keynes Theatre in 2023. So, after all these years, does Annie still have that appeal? Set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, Annie follows the life of an orphan abandoned to the care of its evil matron, Miss Hannigan. Annie seeks escape, and after one failed attempt, she finds herself the chosen Christmas guest of billionaire Oliver Warbucks, and things slowly, hopefully begin to improve for the little but fiercely strong Annie. Leading the adult cast for this tour now as the cruel Miss Hannigan is Claire Sweeney. Sweeney clearly revels in the chance to embr...

Review of Matilda at Milton Keynes Theatre

Roald Dahl is perhaps one of the most famous children’s authors of any generation, and his work has inspired an exceptional number of film, television, and theatre adaptations. Fifteen years ago, this musical of Matilda , one of his most fondly remembered stories, took to the stage and has not looked back since. Adapted from the original book by Dennis Kelly, with lyrics and music by Tim Minchin, the show has been a fixture at the Cambridge Theatre in London since 2011, has performed on Broadway, and is now reaching Milton Keynes Theatre as part of its second UK and Ireland Tour. Inspired by the Roald Dahl book of the same name, this Royal Shakespeare Company’s multi-award-winning musical tells the story of an extraordinary little girl with a vivid imagination and the courage to change her own destiny. Matilda is of course the centre of attention in this production, and on this extensive tour, the role is shared by Felicity Brown, Petra Hutchings, Mollie Hutton, and Caroline Ravansari ...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog