The Red Shoes is back, darling! Matthew Bourne’s spellbinding, two-time Olivier Award-winning production is slipping back into its satin pumps and heading out on a fabulous new UK tour for 2025/26 – and yes, it’s pirouetting its way to Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 March 2026. Mark it in your diary and cancel all other plans (yes, even the dentist).
This gorgeous adaptation of the 1948 Powell and Pressburger film was already something of a legend when it burst onto the stage in 2016 – and now, ten years on, it’s gliding back with a cast that’ll make any Bourne fan giddy.
Taking on the role of the doomed and dazzling Victoria Page are Ashley Shaw, Cordelia Braithwaite, Hannah Kremer and Holly Saw – honestly, it’s a lineup so strong even the red shoes themselves might feel pressure to keep up.
We’ve also got Andy Monaghan and Reece Causton stepping into the polished shoes of the infamous Boris Lermontov, with Dominic North and Leonardo McCorkindale as the dashing Julian Kraster. Add in a glimmering ensemble – including New Adventures royalty like Liam Mower, Michela Meazza, and Will Bozier – and it’s basically a who’s-who of Bourne brilliance.
And would you believe it – eleven members of the original 2016 cast are back for this anniversary run, reprising the very roles they first created. Matthew Bourne himself called it “possibly for the last time.” So, if you’re a New Adventures fan, this might be your final chance to see these original icons lace up and leap once more.
Now, if you don’t know the story (where have you been?), The Red Shoes is a timeless fairytale about love, dance, and the dangerous tug-of-war between ambition and obsession. It’s dreamy, dramatic, devastating – and set to a sweeping score of Bernard Herrmann’s golden-age film music, orchestrated by Terry Davies. The visuals? Sublime, thanks to Lez Brotherston’s sets and costumes, Paule Constable’s lighting and Paul Groothuis on sound.
As Matthew put it (and Grace quite agrees), this isn’t just a ballet – it’s a love letter to theatre and dance itself. It’s where life and art blur, hearts get bruised, and dreams whirl themselves dizzy. And when those red shoes go on? You know you’re in for something unforgettable.
So, whether you’ve seen it before or it’s your first time – get yourself to Birmingham Hippodrome in March 2026. You can grab tickets at birminghamhippodrome.com or ring 0121 689 3000. Don’t wait too long though – these beauties tend to sell faster than a standing ovation.
Put on the red shoes, Vicky… and dance for us again.
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