London
Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes
A timeless fairytale and Academy Award-winning movie, The Red Shoes has captivated audiences and inspired generations of dancers with its powerful tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page lives to dance but her ambitions become a fierce struggle between the two men who inspire her passion.
Matthew Bourne’s magical double Olivier Award-winning production of the legendary Powell and Pressburger film is set to a score orchestrated by Terry Davies, featuring the mesmerizing music of golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, with sumptuous designs by Lez Brotherston (set and costumes), Paule Constable (lighting) and Paul Groothuis (sound).
An intoxicating drama where life imitates art with fateful consequences, The Red Shoes will dazzle your senses and break your heart.
Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes Tickets
Our review on Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes
Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes - Lowry, Salford - Tuesday 25th November 2025 by Erin Whatmough
Our Rating
I was really excited to see Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes, as I have heard many wonderful things about the double Olivier Award-winning ballet. I’ve never watched a ballet performance before, but I now know the beauty I was missing out on! It is a charming story of a talented ballerina struggling to choose between dance and love, finding herself in difficult places, mirrored in her character’s own ballet show. It was a fantastic performance poetically told through magical movement.
It was incredible to see just how successful the storytelling was, even though no words were spoken. The whole show was clean and elegant, even with an element of humour, which I was not expecting. The sheer level of talent was astounding and captivating the whole way through. I found the set really interesting, because it mainly consisted of a stage curtain, transforming the stage from a performance to backstage with a single rotation, and allowing for dynamic scene changes. The costumes were also extremely beautiful, and elevated the whole performance. I loved watching the way the skirts flowed as the women danced, creating stunning silhouettes, and I applaud Lez Brotherston for his work on this. I really loved all the choreography, from beginning to end, and Matthew Bourne did a brilliant job of telling the fascinating performance through enchanting movements.
The star of the show, Ashley Shaw, brought so much emotion to the stage, and made everything look so effortless. Alongside her was Andy Monaghan and Dominic North, who both put in strong and refined performances as the Ballet Impresario and Composer respectively. Michela Meazza also dazzled me with the way she floated across the stage as the Prima Ballerina. I also have to mention Will Bozier whose technique and charm was great to watch. Glenn Graham played a few characters, but delivered each of them with depth and energy. The whole cast were incredible, right from the start, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage.
Overall I had such a fantastic time watching The Red Shoes, not only because it was a new experience for me, but because it really connects with the audience, and you get hooked on the thrill and the story. I would highly recommend snatching up a ticket yourself whilst still possible!
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