It’s hard to believe that it’s 30 years since the premiere of Sir Matthew Bourne ‘s best known and best loved work, the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Swan Lake. Indeed, his company, New Adventures, is now casting dancers who were not even born back in 1995!

Bourne’s modern adaptation of the classic romantic ballet alters Tchaikovsky’s original score, re-ordering several numbers and omitting others. Controversially, the production sees the traditional Princess replaced by a tormented Prince, with a menacing male ensemble taking the place of the female corps-de-ballet.

Gone are the usual swan maidens wearing white tutus and dancing en-pointe. In their place is a flock of muscular male swans wearing high-waisted white chiffon knee-length trousers - stitched to look like feathers - and black diamond markings running from the top of the head to the bridge of the nose. Their feet, calves and chests are bare as they stamp and hiss their way around the stage, eventually turning with shocking savagery upon both the lead swan and the Prince.

The Prince is a deeply unhappy young man. Seeking acceptance, and confused about his future, he is forced to carry out endless royal duties with his domineering and emotionally distant mother. Impatient and undemonstrative with her son, the Queen’s sexual promiscuity sees her lavish affection on every man with whom she comes into contact.

Back in 1995, it was a bold and radical move to have the Prince fall in love with a male swan, suggesting that the struggles he was facing were perhaps the result of repressed homosexuality. Times have changed, though, and it’s unlikely that this latest touring production of the ballet will prompt any theatre goers to walk out in disgust when the Prince and the swan dance their pas-de-deux!

Taking place predominantly in London in the 1950s and 60s - with memorable sets and beautiful costumes designed by Lez Brotherston - the highly emotional story of doomed love shifts between reality and nightmare as the Prince spirals towards madness.

All the roles require extraordinary dancing and acting skills, and the New Adventures cast members certainly deliver on that score.

The physically and emotionally challenging role of the anguished Prince is beautifully played by Stephen Murray, whose relationship with the Swan/Stranger (Jackson Fisch) is both joyful and distressing to watch. The dual role of the Swan/Stranger is akin to the original white/black swan, Odette/Odile. Fisch plays the lead swan with strength and vulnerability. As the Stranger, clad head to foot in black, he is brutally heartless as he seduces every woman at the royal ball - including the Queen (Ashley Shaw), in front of her son.

The Queen’s haute couture costumes are exquisitely beautiful, achieving the effect of making her look as though she’s just walked off a page of Vogue magazine. Dramatic and glamorous, Shaw brilliantly conveys the Queen’s lack of regard for her son’s emotional wellbeing.

The Queen’s private secretary (James Lovell), with dubious intentions, sets the Prince up with a truly unsuitable woman simply known as the girlfriend - a wonderful role that requires exceptional comic timing. Bryony Wood rises with impressive ease to the challenge of playing her.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is an inspirational work of contemporary dance, offering a unique and altogether different interpretation of the world’s most famous classical ballet. Compelling to watch - and gracefully and expressively danced and acted - this touring production is stunning, intense, beguiling, and likely to leave you pretty much breathless by the time its finale arrives. The only disappointment was the recorded soundtrack. A magnificent show such as this one absolutely deserves the magic of a live orchestra.

Five stars

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake: A New Generation was reviewed by Sue Hull on Thursday 6 February at Birmingham Hippodrome, where it shows until Saturday 15 February