Undoubtedly one of the more unique adaptations Tim Burton’s beloved 1990 classic Edward Scissorhands (and of adaptations in general), renowned choreographer of stage and theatre Matthew Bourne’s dance version of Edward Scissorhands is an energetic and far more whimsical take on the iconic tale that substitutes dialogue for contemporary dance, while still keeping the magical feeling of the film alive by using of elements Danny Elfman’s score and original screenwriter Caroline Thompson’s story.
Premiering at the Theatre Royal in 2005, with hundreds of shows performed all over the world over the almost last two decades, a filmed version of the shows 2024 run at the Wales Millenium Centre in Cardiff, will be available for audiences to see in cinemas this September.
Similar to the film, this adaptation is the story of an inventor’s son, Edward, who tragically dies when his father accidentally electrocutes him. Grieving the loss of his son, the inventor creates a new “son” who has scissors for hands and raises him alone in the gothic surroundings of his castle-like laboratory, away from the rest of suburban civilization.
However, when Edward’s inventor father is literally scared to death during Halloween, the now orphaned boy ventures outside of his isolated home, where he encounters both the rejection and acceptance of the people of this small town at the bottom of the hill.
For the most part, Bourne’s dance adaptation of Edward Scissorhands follows the story beat for beat. Aside from the opening scenes of the story, mainly about Edward’s creation and eventual orphaning, despite being quite extravagantly visual moments of the show, aren’t as strongly pronounced as they are in the film, with the production moving quite quickly into Edward’s assimilation into the Boggs’ family.
This iteration of Edward Scissorhands doesn’t add anything new to the characters or story and manages to maintain most of the foundation aspects of the narrative to feel as cohesive and understandable as audiences will need it to be. It’s not essential viewing for Scissorhand fanatics looking for expanded lore with in this world, but it will perhaps interest those who appreciate an artistically alternative take on pre-established material.
With dance being the primary language, in substation of dialogue, the performers intentional over-acting does match up quite well with the quirkiness of this tale. Bold and brash physicality, both of the choregraphed moves and very much so, the facial acting that’s needed to convey the unspoken emotion may feel like too much for other productions, but plays quite nicely into that already established, heightened world that most of Tim Burton’s films are famous for.
Another quite well-known, and regarded, aspect of Burton’s film is the visual aesthetic, and even though this production is limited to a singular space, the stage design, costumes and lighting do have that absurdist aesthetic to it that feels familiar of the film. The seamlessness of the backdrop and sets moving through scenes and locations, just as the dancers themselves do, is technically impressive.
Using bits and pieces from the iconic Danny Elfman film score, the constant soundscape and composition of Edward Scissorhands manages once more to blend the whimsy and darkness of this world together incredibly well. Many of the stories more well-known moments are often paired with the music from the film, and that sense of familiarity is appreciated.
Edward Scissorhands is playing in select cinemas from September 27.
