Matthew Bourne terview: 'I'd love to see a ballet about a gay relatnship'

Contents:

• MATTHEW BOURNE: ‘I WON’T TAKE MY GAY SWAN LAKE TO RSIA NOW — THEY HAVE GONE BACKWARDS’
• DANCE; 'SWAN LAKE': IS IT THEATER OR DANCE, GAY OR STRAIGHT?
• MATTHEW BOURNE TERVIEW: 'I'D LOVE TO SEE A BALLET ABOUT A GAY RELATNSHIP'
• LET'S HAVE A REAL GAY ROMEO OM MATTHEW BOURNE
• NOT THE GAY SWAN LAKE

MATTHEW BOURNE: ‘I WON’T TAKE MY GAY SWAN LAKE TO RSIA NOW — THEY HAVE GONE BACKWARDS’

Bourne created the work at a time when a law agast promotg homosexualy still existed England. It’s gone now, but you n see how the swans stroyg one of their own — and his male, human lover — speaks to the homophobic vlence that still exists almost Thursday, the lightg sign of Ple Constable ma Lez Brotherston’s faiar sets and stum look better than ever — though Dunn McLean’s bleary swan-projectns need to be rensired.

Today marks 50 years sce the Stonewall rts, which kicked off the first major monstratns for gay rights Ameri.

DANCE; 'SWAN LAKE': IS IT THEATER OR DANCE, GAY OR STRAIGHT?

Fifty years ago, on 28 June 1969, police raid the Stonewall Inn New York Cy's Greenwich Village, but bar patrons – gay men and drag queens – fought back, a spontaneo cint which is now marked as the begng of the gay rights movement the Uned Stat.

MATTHEW BOURNE TERVIEW: 'I'D LOVE TO SEE A BALLET ABOUT A GAY RELATNSHIP'

Gay relatnships and homoerotic subject matter have featured our shows sce the very begng 1987. At that time Sectn 28 was still live the UK, statg that a lol thory "shall not tentnally promote homosexualy or publish material wh the tentn of promotg homosexualy" and was still crimal to be gay on the Isle of Man.

LET'S HAVE A REAL GAY ROMEO OM MATTHEW BOURNE

Given five stars by The Observer and scribed as ‘a sizzlg adventure' this dance productn, first seen May 2000 is rife wh homo-erotic them. It also featur an out gay uple, two of the mechanics workg at Do's Der and Garage Mar and Vo.

NOT THE GAY SWAN LAKE

Homo-erotic threads n throughout Bourne's works even when the relatnships are ls explic. Arguably, Bourne's most recent productns gay relatnships are seen as a normalised ponent of reprentg ntemporary tim by dience members, a wele shift celebratg the muni. Matthew Bourne put men to tut and turned Swan Lake to a tragic gay love affair.

”That the relatnship between the prce and the swan (and his alter-ego, the Stranger, a unterpart to the evil Odile the origal ballet) was equently read as a homosexual one amplified the clamor around the productn. “There is certaly a gay aspect to the piece, but I thought was more than that, a more universal story, ” Mr.