Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes – Liverpool Empire

A dancer enters the stage wearing vibrant red ballet shoes, the lighting renders her faceless, the music boldly proclaims that there is drama ahead… I am already hooked. A timeless tale of love, passion and conflict perfectly plays out from start to finish. A ensemble dancer is discovered by a ballet impresario, but are his obsession and her desires compatible?

This tour of The Red Shoes celebrates the tenth anniversary of its original production and is a celebration of art and performance. The beautiful score originally composed by Bernard Herrmann is beautifully orchestrated for this company by Terry Davies. The visual identity of the piece is beyond description, and, quite simply, begs to be seen. Lez Brotherston’s set, with its grand moving proscenium arch and clever use of materials, combine with Duncan McLean’s projection design to provide a myriad spaces and settings in which to tell this story. And Brotherston’s costumes are the final piece of the puzzle. His long association with New Adventures means that every piece of clothing complements the dance styles and choreography, while also clearly conveying a separate identity for every character in every moment. This production is a visual feast, and it is everything that you could want in an evening of ballet. And I haven’t even mentioned the dancing yet!

Bourne’s theatrical style of ballet production, which here also incorporates elements of charleston, jive and traditional ballroom dance, opens up the world of ballet and makes it much more accessible and relatable. The careful direction leads to flawless storytelling, such that even someone with no knowledge of the original story could easily follow it. The performance and storytelling Bourne and his team elicit from these dancers are exceptional, with a demonstrable attention to detail that you can see even from the reaches of the cavernous Empire Theatre!

The quality of the dance in this production is, unsurprisingly, outstanding. In the past, I have found similar theatricalised ballet to have lost some degree of care and precision, but not here.

There were four performers in particular that I think deserve to be highlighted among what is, frankly, an exceptional company. First and foremost, Cordelia Braithwaite danced the lead role of Victoria Page with beautiful technique, coupled with a powerful vulnerability and storytelling ability; I could hardly take my eyes off her when she was on stage. Her partner work with Jackson Fisch as the premier danseur of the ballet company was entrancing, and I thought he danced that role with just the right balance of gravitas and arrogance that one might anticipate from a character in that position. In addition, Andy Monaghan and Dominic North played love rivals Boris Lermontov and Julian Craster respectively; each walking a tightrope of dance skill and storytelling, passion and angst, as well as shining as lead performers in their own right while recognising that their work with Braithwaite had to be spot on. All four consistently impressed throughout, and they had me engrossed in the story from start to finish.

All that said, there were moments when the stage felt a little over-busy, and it was hard to know who to watch or where to look when so many members of the company were being brilliant in different ways on different parts of the stage. Additionally, there were a couple of moments when I did struggle with the projections from a motion sickness point of view; they were extremely powerful in terms of storytelling but also frustratingly momentarily distracting. However, neither of these niggles would prevent me from seeing the show again if I could!

The Red Shoes is an exceptional ballet production, and an outstanding fusion of storytelling, music and movement. I highly recommend that you dance your way to the Empire before it moves on.

The Red Shoes continues at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool until Saturday 28th February. More details and ticket information can be found on the website: Liverpool Empire Box Office. The production then continues on tour around the UK, and information about the tour can be found on the New Adventures website: The Red Shoes | New Adventures

Reviewer: Jo Tillotson

Reviewed: 24th February 2026

North West End UK Rating: