New Adventures Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake The Next Generation Tickets

Sadler's Wells, London
Running time: 2hrs 20mins (inc. interval)
Age Restrictions: Under 5s will not be admitted.
Tickets from £18.00

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Matthew Bourne's multi award-winning hit returns to the theatre where it all began.

Matthew Bourne’s audacious, rule-breaking reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece caused a sensation when it premiered almost 30 years ago. It has now become the most successful dance theatre production of all time, creating new audiences and inspiring generations of young dancers. In celebration of that ongoing impact, Swan Lake will take flight once more in a major new revival for the next generation of dancers, and for audiences who will experience it for the very first time.

Thrilling, bold, witty and emotive, this genre-defining event is still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention, turning tradition on its head.

First staged at Sadler’s Wells in London in 1995, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake took the dance theatre world by storm becoming the longest running full-length dance classic in the West End and on Broadway. It has since been performed across the globe, collecting over thirty international accolades including the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and three Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

Venue information

Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells
Rosebery Avenue, Islington
London
EC1R 4TN

Sadler's Wells Theatre is a major London performing arts venue located on on Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the most recent of six theatres that have existed on the same site since 1683. The building, which stands today consists of two performance spaces: the 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive rehearsal rooms and technical facilities also housed within the site. It is recognised as one of the United Kingdom's foremost dance venues and producing houses, with a number of associated artists and companies who produce original works for the theatre. Sadler's Wells is also responsible for the management of the Peacock Theatre in the West End.

History

First theatre and pleasure gardens

Richard Sadler opened a "Musick House" in 1683, the second public theatre opened in London after the restoration. The name Sadler's Wells originates from his name and the rediscovery of monastic springs on his property. The well water being thought to have medicinal properties, Sadler was prompted to claim that drinking the water from the wells would be effective against "dropsy, jaundice, scurvy, green sickness and other distempers to which females are liable – ulcers, fits of the mother, virgin's fever and hypochondriacal distemper".

In 1698 Thomas Guidott the noted Doctor of Physik who popularised the waters of Bath wrote what he called "A true and exact account of Sadler's Well, or, The new mineral-waters lately found out at Islington treating of its nature and virtues: together with an enumeration of the chiefest diseases which it is good for, and against which it may be used, and the manner and order of taking of it".

This brought the health giving properties of the hot mineral waters to the country and soon the aristocracy started to arrive to partake in them.

Thus, this still quite rural London location became famous for both the water and for music, but as more wells were dug and the exclusiveness of Sadler's Wells declined, so did the quality of the entertainment provided – along with the quality of the clientele who were described as "vermin trained up to the gallows" by a contemporary. By 1711, the theatre was characterized as "a nursery of debauchery".

By the mid-1700s, the existence of two "Theatres Royal" –in Covent Garden and Drury Lane– severely limited the ability of other London theatres to legally perform any drama combined with music, thus rather limiting for opera. And Sadler's Wells continued its downward spiral.

The theatre was closed, reopened, and its focus modified six times between then and the opening of the current Sadler's Wells Theatre.

Sadler's Wells Theatre London: The Sixth theatre

The current theatre opened on 11 October 1998 with a performance by Rambert Dance Company. The £54 million project was one of the first projects to receive funding from the National Lottery– which contributed £42 million. The new design gave a stage which was wider and deeper and able to accommodate much larger companies and productions than the one it replaced. A new layout to the auditorium accommodated more seats. An extension at the side of the building provided a new ticket office and foyers rising to the full height of the theatre, provided easier audience access to all levels and included bars, cafes and exhibition spaces. As well as the 1,500 seat main auditorium, Sadler's Wells also has a base at the Peacock Theatre near Aldwych. The rebuilt theatre retains the Grade II listing applied to the former theatre in 1950. It also retains access to the remains of the historic wells that still lie beneath the theatre. The architect was RHWL, the acoustic consultant was Arup Acoustics.

When Ian Albery retired as Chief Executive in October 2002 he was succeeded by Jean Luc Choplin, who had recently worked for Disneyland in Paris and Los Angeles and at one time worked with Rudolf Nureyev as a Managing Director of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Although his contract ran until 2007, in January 2004 Choplin announced that he would be taking up a post at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris in 2006 and left shortly afterwards.

Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding since 2004, The Sadler’s Wells Theatre has expanded to become a production house as well as a receiving house hosting performances by visiting companies from the UK and around the world. Balletboyz Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Sylvie Guillem, Akram Khan, Jonzi D, Russell Maliphant, Wayne McGregor, Jasmin Vardimon and Christopher Wheeldon are all Associate Artists/Companies at Sadler’s Wells. This creates opportunities for them to work alongside each other and other collaborators in developing new work. It also contains the 200-seat Lilian Baylis Theatre. Sadler’s Wells also programmes the Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, in London’s West End.

Breakin' Convention , the International Festival of hip hop dance theatre has been produced annually by Sadler’s Wells since 2004. 

Travel by train: Kings Cross. Nearest tube: Angel

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake fan reviews (2) 4.5

Swan Lake

Excellent Show with full of Drama, Passion, Romance & death. Great performance in terms of acting and dance. Brillant set especelly the set dropback screen. Full of new ideas and the was well interweeved with a classic story. A great new way to present the classic tale.

Posted by James G on 26/12/2018

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Sadler's Wells, London - 22nd December 2018

Outstanding in every way.

Outstanding in every way...myself and my 3 girlfriends had never attended a ballet before...we were all so taken back on how much we enjoyed it all...from every aspect. Without a doubt we will return to the ballet again....the venue...the seating..the ease at how you could collect your tickets.Thank You so much for a truly,memorable;enjoyable evening. Ladies in their 50s.

Posted anonymously on 21/12/2018

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Sadler's Wells, London - 20th December 2018

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