Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake: Is this the death of feminism in the theatre?

IT was a smashing performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake that we saw yesterday at the Lowry at Salford Quays. But I left wondering if Matthew Boune's interpretation if carried out throughout the industry may lead to the decimation of jobs for the lassies in the theatre world. All the swans in this version of Swan Lake are lads not lassies, and as a consequence at the curtain call I counted over twenty men, leaving a the women in the cast in single figures. This idea of turning tradition upside down which is reported as taking the dance world by storm may have the effect of reducing the employment prospects of women. Since its London premiere, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake has been acclaimed as a landmark achievement on the international stage, collecting over 30 international theatre awards, including three Tonys. So here in Salford we have an end to swans in tutus, and instead a blending of humour and spectacle to give us a post-modern Swan Lake for our time. This Swan Lake at the Lowry will be on until Sat 16 November.