Matthew Bourne’s acclaimed take on Swan Lake, featuring the now-iconic all-male swan ensemble, is coming to Bradford following a season at Sadler’s Wells.

The Swan is played by two powerful leading men, Jonathan Ollivier and Chris Trenfield, who have made the role their own.

Jonathan, a former star of Northern Ballet, has appeared in several of Matthew Bourne’s productions with his New Adventures company, including Play Without Words.

Chris is currently starring in Matthew’s Sleeping Beauty and joins the Swan Lake company on his return from an American tour.

The Prince will be played by Simon Williams, Sam Archer and, making his debut in the role, Liam Mower.

The Queen will be portrayed by three of New Adventures most popular leading ladies, Madelaine Brennan, Saranne Curtin and Michela Meazza.

“We are delighted to welcome 23 new company members, joining us from diverse dance backgrounds, including Rambert Dance Company, Northern Ballet, Phoenix Dance Company, Michael Clark, the BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance and the West End,” says Matthew. “The quality of this Swan Lake company is testament to how far New Adventures and our Swan Lake has come in the 18 years since its first performance. Box office records are already being broken on our upcoming UK tour – proof, if proof were needed, of the British public’s continuing fascination for this much-loved production.”

The production, drawing on humour, drama and visual spectacle, has become one of the world’s most popular shows and the longest-running ballet in the West End and Broadway.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s score, the show explores loneliness and unrequited love, but there’s plenty of humour too, not least with the clever parody of a classical ballet, the affectionate send-up of the Royal family, vibrant nightclub scene and elegant ball.

One of the country’s most successful choreographers, Matthew has worked on West End shows such as Mary Poppins and Oliver!

Growing up in Walthamstow, his first love was film. “I especially loved the big Hollywood musicals – cinema influenced me more than anything," he says.

He draws on cinematic influences in his shows, from Car Man, which turns Bizet’s Carmen into a sexy Fifties-inspired American thriller, to Edward Scissorhands in which he creates a lovely family show, complete with snow storms, ice sculptures and pirouetting topiary figures. Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray becomes a haunting 21st century fable, set in the shallow fashion world, and timeless classic Cinderella is set during the Second World War, against a background of Blitz-torn London.

Each performer brings something different to Matthew’s shows; coming alive on stage as individual characters and putting their own stamp on performances.

"I'm not into the ensemble approach, the cloned ballerinas you get in classical ballet,” says Matthew. “I want the audience to think, ‘They look like me’.”

  • Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is at the Alhambra from March 4-8. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.