The work from the Tony Award-winning director-choreographer of Swan Lake comes stateside after a London debut. The SF run will play through Dec. 10.
The original London company — which also toured the U.K. and Japan — reunites for the U.S. tour. Reprising the title role are Sam Archer and Richard Winsor at alternating performances. Scott Ambler, Kerry Biggin and Madelaine Brennan are also featured in the cast.
Edward Scissorhands follows the story of a young man (played on film by Johnny Depp) created by an inventor who dies before finishing his work — leaving the man with scissors instead of hands. When a determined Avon lady (Dianne Wiest on film) discovers him in his castle, she attempts to bring him into her home. Before long, the community becomes involved, and Edward's hands become more trouble than they are cut out for. Vincent Price, Winona Ryder, Kathy Baker, Anthony Michael Hall and Alan Arkin also starred in the 1990 Tim Burton movie.
Billed as a "touching and witty gothic fairytale," the show hopes to be "a treat for the whole family." Terry Davies, who worked with Bourne on Play Without Words and The Car Man, composed music adapted from Danny Elfman's haunting film score to accompany the Caroline Thompson screenplay.
"Obviously, the first thing is to think theatrically about it rather than cinematically," Bourne previously explained to Playbill.com (Feb. 2006) about the first hurdle to overcome in adapting the film for the dance theatre piece. "You've got to find a theatrical language for it, theatrical ideas for it and then, of course, dance ideas as well. Was that possible? Could we find enough ways to make it work on stage? "I think it's finding those parallels, but also [creating] surprises for people who do know the film, so that it's not just an experience where they sort of know what they're going to get. And telling a story to people who have not seen the film or don't have any knowledge of the film." (For more from Bourne, read Playbill.com's Brief Encounter.)
The ensemble also features Ross Carpenter, Gareth Charlton, Andrew Corbett, Gavin Eden, Adam Galbraith, Sophia Dominique Hurdley, Steve Kirkham, Dena Lague, Rachel Lancaster, James Leece, Matthew Malthouse, Drew McOnie, Michela Meazza, Ebony Molina, Rachel Morrow, Etta Murfitt, Luke Murphy, Gemma Payne, Jake Samuels, Mikah Smillie, Mami Tomotani, Hannah Vassallo, Shaun Walters, Shelby Williams, Philip Willingham and Chloe Wilkinson.
The design team includes Lez Brotherston (set and costumes), Howard Harrison (lighting) and Paul Groothuis (sound).
Tour dates (subject to change) include:
