Great Performances Presents Matthew Bourne’s Two-Time Olivier Award-Winning Production of The Red Shoes September 17 on PBS
Features Tony-nominated actor and dancer Adam Cooper
From Tony Award-winning choreographer and director Matthew Bourne and British dance company New Adventures, Great Performances: The Red Shoesis a stage adaptation of the classic 1948 feature film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Recorded at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre in January 2020, the ballet recounts Hans Christian Andersen’s original tale of obsession, possession, and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page (Ashley Shaw) lives to dance, but her ambitions create a battleground between the two men who inspire her passion: composer Julian Craster (Dominic North) and impresario Boris Lermontov (Adam Cooper). The production also features Michela Meazza as Irina Boronskaya, Liam Mower as Ivan Boleslawsky, and Glenn Graham as Grischa Ljubov. Set to the music of golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, Great Performances: The Red Shoes is orchestrated by Terry Davies and performed by the New Adventures Orchestra with set and costumes by Tony-winning designer Lez Brotherson and lighting by Tony winner Paule Constable. Great Performances: The Red Shoes premieres Friday, September 17, 2021 at 9:00 p.m. on WSKG.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Johan Persson