From the Editor: Tuesday 16th May

I took a gang of people to see Swan Lake last week, although it wasn’t your traditional Swan Lake by any stretch of the imagination. I really enjoyed it, as did a lot of the crowd who leapt to their feet at the end, as well as our own Andrew Kay whose thoughts you can peruse on page 14.

Michael Keegan-Dolan’s Swan Lake was contemporary dance theatre rather than ballet, with a strange tale about a lonely man, a bad man & violence aligned with music and movement. I’ll keep things vague in case you want to go yourself, but Mikel Murfi’s performance firstly as a sheep, then a pastor, then a politician, then a policeman was gripping. Some more serious parts were contrasted with a euphoric ending that felt cathartic, distinctly memorable and well-earned rather than tacked on.

What also interested me however was the spectrum of opinion of the gang. One person opined that it was one of the best shows she’d ever seen, others enjoyed it and found the movement fun in particular, while another didn’t care for it at all, due to some of the more violent parts and its obtuseness.

The music was good, although not quite to my tastes with its repetitive folk leanings. If it had featured a more electronic or classical focus then the show might have lifted from 4.5 to 5 stars for me, another personal preference which undoubtedly affects the spectrum of opinion.

A Festival or Fringe show can be a great way to catch up with people and casually dissect a show afterwards, which is fun in its own right. You can read a selection of our reviews on page 14 or go to thelatest.co.uk for even more show ideas. Or you can take the plunge through your own research: whatever happens you’ll have something to talk or think about afterwards.

Joe Fuller
editorial@thelatest.co.uk