The catastrophic cost of a wrong decision sends a beautiful dancer - with everything to live - for spiralling to her nemesis.

While we know the plot is heartbreaking, it is the compelling manner in which it agonisingly plays out step-by-step that renders Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes a masterpiece of storytelling.

The production - based on Hans Christian Anderson’s timeless fairytale of 1845 and the acclaimed 1948 film co-directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger - is enhanced by compositions of golden-age Hollywood composer, Bernard Herrmann.

Diverse backdrops with exquisite attention to detail from the 1940’s post war era mirror the theme’s extremes. We are transported to a London soiree graced by high society, Monte Carlo’s grand Opera House, a high spirited beach party in Villefranche-Sur-Mer and dingy London lodgings.

The central character, fiercely ambitious ballerina Victoria Page, is ecstatic when she is accepted into the corps-de-ballet run by imperious, highly demanding impresario, Boris Lermontov. She strikes up a romance with pianist, Julian Craster, who himself aspires to great musical heights.

Any semblance of normality soon dissipates. Dark forces simmer incessantly as the inevitability of her descent unravels. Replacing the injured lead ballerina, she accepts a pair of red pointe shoes from Lermontov - and is catapulted into the spotlight in his own inaugural creation of The Red Shoes.

From that moment her fate is sealed and her path to stardom driven by Lermontov’s relentless manipulation.

Witnessing her undoing is tortuous and prolonged. Standout scenarios include an emotionally draining ‘ballet within a ballet’ sequence. Vicky has become a prisoner shackled by the red shoes which take on a life of their own and force her to keep dancing non-stop until she is spent emotionally and physically, sinking to the floor in exhaustion.

The strokes of genius in this double Olivier award-winning production are plentiful - the music, character portrayals, choreography, artistry, costumes and set design. I especially enjoyed the end of season party at Villefranche-Sur-Mer which evoked the seaside and a fleeting sense of fun and levity from the destructive influences.

Bourne’s trademark unique and innovative approach permeate the 95-minute show. Oozing talent from every bone of their body, the cast’s timing and discipline are exemplary. Cordelia Braithwaite and Andy Monaghan are outstanding as Victoria Page and Boris Lermontov and Jarod McWilliams is first class in the role of Julian Craster.

The costume designs and sets by Lez Brotherston, particularly the rotating mechanical proscenium arch, are excellent. Well deserved mentions also to Terry Davies for his score orchestration, Paule Constable for lighting, and sound by Paul Groothuis.

I’m thrilled that 11 of the original cast of The Red Shoes, which premiered in 2016, are returning for this 10th Anniversary production, performing the roles they created, possibly, for the last time. This is something that no New Adventures fan will want to miss! The Red Shoes was the culmination of a twenty-year ambition to bring Powell and Pressburger's seminal 1948 film to the stage. It was also, in many ways, a personal love letter to a life in theatre and dance.

The irony of the expression ‘to die for your art’ is not lost in this cautionary and unmissable tale of the destructive power of artistic ambition. Never again will I look at a pair of red shoes in the same way.

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes by New Adventures plays Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday May 9, 2026. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.