Oh. My. God.
Nov. 19th, 2004 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lonelybritIf you can see Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake? Do it. Do whatever it takes. Sell your car, sell your third cousin twice removed, because, dude, it is so worth it!
You all know the original tale of Swan Lake, right? Prince meets The Swan, who is a lady cursed to be a swan except when by a lake in the moonlight. Or something like that. The spell can only be broken if he vows to be true to her and only to her. He says, 'Sure, no problem', and then goes off and accidentally swears the same thing to another lady. The Swan Princess is heartbroken, and kills herself before her Prince's horrified eyes as it's now the only way to escape the curse. The Prince then kills himself too so they can be together in death. The ballet ends with the other, for some unexplained reason, now freed swans bowing down as a cloud drifts past with the Swan Princess and her Prince looking disgustingly sappy.
Right. Got that?
Good. Now replace all the swans and the Swan Princess with men. So you have these two not unattractive men, who are playing seriously in love characters, seriously dancing with each other. At one point they are both in the ballroom and having to dance with two Princesses each. Which they do. Except their eyes are locked on each other the whole time.
And the ending... *sob*
I saw a traditional production and was left unmoved. But oddly enough, change it to men, so it ends with this man peacefully cradling the sleeping body of his lover and, yes, you will see my heart shatter...
Slashiness aside, Swan Lake simply works better with the swans played by men. Even my father said he preferred it this way. When you think of a swan, yes, you do think of beauty and elegance. But most people also remember that a swan can break a man's leg with its wing. Swans are vicious little blighters when angered, strong and not to be crossed. They are powerful creatures and not at all harmless. And boy does that come across well when you see those men dance for the first time. And when they turn nasty... oh yeah. Swan attack. Not good.
You all know the original tale of Swan Lake, right? Prince meets The Swan, who is a lady cursed to be a swan except when by a lake in the moonlight. Or something like that. The spell can only be broken if he vows to be true to her and only to her. He says, 'Sure, no problem', and then goes off and accidentally swears the same thing to another lady. The Swan Princess is heartbroken, and kills herself before her Prince's horrified eyes as it's now the only way to escape the curse. The Prince then kills himself too so they can be together in death. The ballet ends with the other, for some unexplained reason, now freed swans bowing down as a cloud drifts past with the Swan Princess and her Prince looking disgustingly sappy.
Right. Got that?
Good. Now replace all the swans and the Swan Princess with men. So you have these two not unattractive men, who are playing seriously in love characters, seriously dancing with each other. At one point they are both in the ballroom and having to dance with two Princesses each. Which they do. Except their eyes are locked on each other the whole time.
And the ending... *sob*
I saw a traditional production and was left unmoved. But oddly enough, change it to men, so it ends with this man peacefully cradling the sleeping body of his lover and, yes, you will see my heart shatter...
Slashiness aside, Swan Lake simply works better with the swans played by men. Even my father said he preferred it this way. When you think of a swan, yes, you do think of beauty and elegance. But most people also remember that a swan can break a man's leg with its wing. Swans are vicious little blighters when angered, strong and not to be crossed. They are powerful creatures and not at all harmless. And boy does that come across well when you see those men dance for the first time. And when they turn nasty... oh yeah. Swan attack. Not good.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-19 04:34 pm (UTC)It's Wangel isn't it? Oh lord, you lucky lucky girl. I want to see it. What about having Wes and Angel go see it? *whispers in your ear*
Ballet and slash? Match made in heaven.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-19 04:39 pm (UTC)I would make it Angel/Wes... except I think it would quickly end in angst. That final tragically peaceful scene... the gentle rocking and cradling... that motionless form in the blue and white striped pyjamas... I don't think Angel would be hopping over that image, LOL!