When director Matthew Bourne presented his all-male version of Swan Lake in 1995, it certainly ruffled a few feathers.
Bold, witty and emotive, this Swan Lake is best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble which shattered conventions, turned tradition upside down and took the dance world by storm.
The production went on to become the longest-running ballet in the history of the West End and on Broadway.
It is now cited as Bourne’s best-known and best-loved piece of work, and next week it is being taken to His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen for north-east audiences.
Retaining the iconic elements of the original production, the show tells the timeless love story of the swan princess and her prince while injecting modern themes and a dash of humour.
Playing the role of the Swan is former English National Ballet star Max Westwell, who is making his debut in the part.
It’s the kind of role which can make or break a career in theatre, but Max wasn’t fazed.
“Swan Lake is such an iconic production that I think every young dancer dreams of being a part of it,” he said.
“I’d applied for the show when they were looking for characters five years ago but they had already cast the principles.
“Since then I’ve seen a lot more of Matthew Bourne’s work and been very impressed.
“I was lucky this time around, though, and went straight into rehearsals.
“We practised six days a week for five weeks, which was very intense.
“It was quite an unconventional rehearsal period as we needed to learn to move together in a flock.
“There is a lot of emphasis on having stiff animal-like movement and we did a lot of animal studies.
“The choreographer made us watch videos of swans over and over again to try and get us to copy their movements.
“What I took away from it in particular was that swans can be quite scary and aggressive as well as being elegant and beautiful.”
After swan school, tour began and the cast were able to see the audience reaction to their hard work for the first time.
In Tchaikovsky’s traditional ballet the heroine, the swan princess Odette, is portrayed as lovely but powerless in accordance with conventional gender roles.
In contrast, her hero is portrayed as a hunter who alone has the power to save her.
Having a man in the role of lead Swan suggests that the prince’s struggle has repressed gay love at its core, changing the realm of the plot from magical to psychological.
Bourne himself sites Tchaikovsky as his inspiration behind the changes, using the composer’s struggles with homosexuality as part of his new concept.
However, according to Bourne the prince’s relationship with the swan is more about a repressed young man’s need to be loved, rather than about any sexual desire.
“Things have changed even since the production was put together 20 years ago,” said Max.
“This tour has an entirely fresh look and we are now a mixed company. It’s lovely to be around at a time of change.
“This version feels very streamlined and well-portrayed, particularly for audiences who aren’t familiar with the story.
“The humour also makes it much more accessible, along with updated costume designs and lighting.”
For Max the production is quite a change from what he is used to.
“I’m a soloist of classical background so being in Swan Lake is really different for me,” he said.
“Even dancing in bare feet was new.
“But I’ve always been interested in theatre and so this show is the perfect balance of the two for me, with plenty of acting and dancing.
“Playing the Swan is great as I get to show two very extreme sides to the same character.
“Audiences are just getting to know the animal version before I flip into a total stranger.
“It’s a very full role, right to the end.”
Each night on stage is a workout, but Max takes it all in his stride.
There is one thing he misses, however.
“Before a show you need to be very careful about what you eat and drink,” he said.
“I do a specific set of exercises to get warmed up and have a hydration drink beforehand.
“You can’t go out and have a big plate of fish and chips in a pub beforehand, unfortunately,” he laughed.
“And I’m speaking from experience when I say that!”
The original love story of the swan princess and her prince has been entertaining audiences around the world for more than 140 years, but by switching up the gender roles audiences are in for a treat with this wonderfully original stage show.
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is playing at His Majesty’s Theatre from October 23 to 27. See www.aberdeenperformingarts.com for details.