Matthew Bourne's 'Edward Scissorhands'

Last night we went to see Matthew Bourne's 'Edward Scissorhands' at Sadlers Wells. I like Sadlers Wells, it always seems so civilised, and seeing a Matthew Bourne production has almost become synonymous with 'Christmas treat' in recent years.

I've never seen the film so didn't really know what to expect. I went with eyes wanting to expand with wonder and adventure but, unfortunately, that didn't happen too often. I wanted to like the production and I did, but I didn't love it. Not like Matthew's 'Swan Lake' or 'Nutcracker'. It felt like narrative rather than emotion and there didn't seem to be much dancing as opposing to rhythmic movement.

The first half seemed to be entirely scene setting and rather slow. There were some nice pieces but it seemed over-long and slowly paced. The second half picked up big time and was far more enjoyable - mind you, I couldn't help but think the townsfolk were simply stupid - I had difficulty suspending judgement! I'm afraid one of the most memorable pieces for me was when Edwards wanders on stage at the end, snips his scissors in the air and snow erupted over the audience. That was a nice touch and sends you away on a high.

Overall, I'm pleased I saw it but I wasn't as wowed as I'd expected to be. It made me want to see 'Nutcracker' again, so I think I'll hunt out the DVD over the weekend.