Many things come to mind when you think about Swan Lake. Some ballet lovers would say it is the epitome of classical ballet…. in many ways it certainly is. To rework this classic would be sacrilegious to some, but I would challenge them to see what Graeme Murphy has brought together before making a judgement. I believe Graeme Murphy has given us a new classic and it will take its own place in dance history.

I have seen much of Murphy’s work by Sydney Dance Company and his past collaborations with the Australian Ballet. Previously I was pleasantly surprised by his Nutcracker and I am beginning to think that he has a knack at reworking the classics without ‘butchering’ them. Knowing this, I still found myself curious about what exactly would come of his version of Swan Lake.

As with Nutcracker, I initially have to get my head around watching a completely different scene to what my memory and the music are telling me to look for. At first it was slightly distracting as my mind wanders to which part of the original ballet coincides with the music I am hearing.  This soon passes as my mind takes hold of the fact that I am being told a new story.

We are immediately introduced to the main characters and learn that they are stuck in a bitter love triangle. This love story is loosely based around Lady Diana, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The truth is that are just real people, once you remove the royalty. Sadly, the Princess represents any wife who has been betrayed by her husband in today’s world. Prince Siegfried is a man stuck in the consequence of his adultery. The Baroness is the other woman who has disrespected their marriage in search of meeting her own needs. She doesn’t see her actions as being wrong. There is nothing new about betrayal, unfortunately is has been around since the beginning of time, so for this reason the audience relates well to the story.

The new story depicts a newly married Odette who loses her mind over her husband’s denial of his affair. She is committed to a sanatorium where she lets her mind escape into a dream like state where swans comfort her. In this way Murphy keeps within the theme of Swan Lake. She eventually leaves in search of her husband and makes a very grand entrance at a party being hosted by the Baroness. Of course the Prince falls back into the arms of the pure Odette, leaving the Baroness alone and bitter. However, the Prince then loses Odette as she takes her life in the lake, never recovering from his betrayal. Prince Siegfried is left alone mourning over the loss of beautiful Odette.

Odette is played by Amber Scott. Her emotional portrayal of Odette is proof that she is principal artist material. One really feels sorry for Odette. She performs with the utmost control and an extreme maturity. She is certainly a favourite with the

audience. She receives a standing ovation.

Adam Bull plays Prince Siegfried. Unfortunately his performance leaves me wanting more of Prince Siegfried. He is a very capable dancer, but I do not feel like I am watching a prince. I am not sure if it’s because of his boyish looks, or his obvious nerves. I do feel his acting ability isn’t as strong as I would expect for a dancer at his level. However, he does win me over by Act 3 and his highlight is definitely the Act 4 Pas de Deux with Odette. I also appreciate his fun jovial nature when entering early for the curtain calls.

The production as a whole is magnificent, but I just wasn’t ‘blown away’ with moments in Act 1. There are a few messy moments and shaky landings and areas of choreography that are very hectic and lead to the dancers not being synchronised. There are moments where the music is very busy and there isn’t a lot happening and then there are times of the exact opposite.This may be intentional by Murphy, but it doesn’t seem to serve its purpose. However, the beautiful corps de ballet are completely in sync, I believe Murphy really thrives on being given a corps to work with. I love his way of manipulating the shape of the human body in the simplest of ways. He is also a master of a canon! I would love to spend some time in his brain!

The collaboration of artists in this production is a celebration of creativity. Murphy is partnered with Janet Vernon , and the late Kristian Fredrikson for set and costume design, together with lighting by Damien Cooper. I loved Fredrikson’s spin on the tutu, it makes the dancers appear more swan like. His sets finished with Cooper’s lightning design are crowd pleasing, even receiving applause with the opening of Act 3, where the audience is immediately pulled into the world of the Baroness and her grand home.

None of this would be possible without the gift of Tchaikovsky’s music. The fact that his score can be juggled, rearranged and put to a new story is evidence of his musical genius. I must also give a mention to the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, lead by Nicolette Fraillon. The music is a performance that could stand on its own. Often we ballet goers forget about all of the musicians in the pit ‘slogging away’, they deserve much more credit than they receive.

Overall, Murphy’s Swan Lake is inspiring and unique, and is definitely a must see for all. I love the fact that this production takes something that exists and brings something new into existence. It is a production that is friendly to the non-dancer in the audience, telling them a strong story but still encapsulating all the wonderful elements of classical ballet. As the work is now in its third Australian season, we have proof enough of its success, and it is in demand with international audiences. With standing ovations from this Sydney audience we should be very proud of what Australia is taking to the world. Murphy’s Swan Lake is deserving of the title  - ‘A New Classic’.

Review by Dolce Fisher ARAD TC