Bourne production of Swan Lake sways way back to Shanghai

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake has returned to Shanghai, where it is running at the city's Culture Square until Sunday.

A bold reinvention of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece featuring a groundbreaking all-male ensemble, Mathew Bourne's Swan Lake caused a sensation when it premiered 30 years ago and has been successful ever since. The production made appearances in Shanghai in both 2014 and 2019, completing a record 25 shows at Culture Square.

"Shanghai has become a more and more important center of performing art from all over the world," said Fei Yuanhong, general manager of Shanghai Culture Square.

According to Fei, theater goers in the city are "hungry for all kinds of international productions, be it musicals from Broadway and West End, France and Germany... shows of all possible styles can find its target audiences in Shanghai.

"I think this is quite a unique phenomenon in Shanghai."