THIS IS LONDON NOVEMBER EDITION 2025 - Flipbook - Page 54
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Ashley Shaw ‘Victoria Page'.
Photos: Johan Persson
MATTHEW BOURNE’S
AWARD-WINNING RED SHOES
Matthew Bourne’s double Olivier
award-winning production of The Red
Shoes has returned for a 2025/26 tour
for the first time since its 2020 tour was
cut short due to the pandemic. It will play
a 7-week annual Christmas season at
Sadler’s Wells from 2 December to
18 January, marking New Adventures’
23rd Christmas season at the venue.
Matthew Bourne said: The Red Shoes
was the culmination of a twenty-year
ambition to bring Powell and
Pressburger's seminal 1948 film to the
stage. It was also, in many ways, a
personal love letter to a life in theatre
and dance.
‘When we created the show in 2016,
we were not prepared for the overwhelming response from audiences
everywhere we went both at home and
internationally. The production went on
to win two Olivier Awards and was
honoured by the LA Critics Awards for
both choreography and for Lez
Brotherston’s memorable set and
costume design.
‘This production was certainly a
landmark event for New Adventures,
becoming an instant classic and a
beloved addition to our repertoire. I’m so
happy to see it return this year,
especially as our last tour in 2020 was
sadly cut short by the pandemic and left
many of our loyal audiences throughout
the UK disappointed.
‘So, welcome back to the Ballet
Lermontov and to paraphrase the great
impresario himself... ‘It's time to put on
the red shoes, Vicky, and dance for us
again....’
A sell-out before its world premiere
season opened in 2016, Matthew
Bourne’s triumphant adaptation of the
legendary film went on to win Best
Entertainment at the 2017 Olivier Awards,
with Matthew Bourne winning the award
for Best Theatre Choreographer. The
show then returned for a national tour in
2019.
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.
For tickets, visit the website at
www.sadlerswells.com
CHRISTMAS SHOWS
ELF THE MUSICAL
Based on the Will Ferrell holiday classic, this
show revolves around an orphan child who
crawls into Santa’s sack of toys one Christmas
Eve by mistake. Age 5+. Until 3 Jan.
ALDWYCH THEATRE
Aldwych, WC2 (0345 200 7981)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL – A GHOST STORY
Mark Gatiss has adapted Dickens’s famous
morality tale, so that the message of
redemption and goodwill is laced with
something more spine-tingling. And the halfruined auditorium at Ally Pally is the perfect
backdrop. Until 4 Jan.
ALEXANDRA PALACE THEATRE
Alexandra Palace Way, N22 (0208 365 4343)
THE NUTCRACKER
Gorgeous festive ballet, in which the
Edwardian Clara is out shopping with her
mother at Drosselmeyer’s Sweets and Delights
Emporium on Christmas Eve, where the girls
encounter a mysterious nutcracker doll.
11 Dec – 11 Jan.
LONDON COLISEUM
St Martin’s Lane, WC2 (020 7845 9300)
CINDERELLA
This classic rags to riches tale comes to life in
Hackney, featuring all your favourite
pantomime ingredients.
HACKNEY EMPIRE
Mare Street, E8 (020 8985 2424)
CHRISTMAS CAROL GOES WRONG
Amateur dramatic society indulges in a ticking
time bomb of collapsing sets, forgotten lines
and special effects which are more
catastrophe than magic – Mischief Theatre
are back. 6 Dec – 26 Jan.
APOLLO THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0330 333 4809)
THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD
The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should ever
set foot in the deep, dark wood... Adaptation
of the much loved picture book by Julia
Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Until 11 Jan.
APOLLO THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0330 333 4809)
THE SNOWMAN
The magical stage adaptation of Raymond
Briggs' much-loved book returns for the
festive season.
PEACOCK THEATRE
Portugal Street, WC2 (020 7863 8000)
Stephen Murray ‘Julian Craste’
(Continued on page 56)
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