Were London Critics Moved by Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands?

Director/choreographer Matthew Bourne's take on the 1990 Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands, which had its world premiere at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London. The show is scheduled to run at the venue through February 5 before embarking on a tour. Did London critics find the dance piece to be sharp?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

Debra Craine of The London Times: "Using his acute directorial skills, a £1.3 million budget and the incredible design flair of Lez Brotherston, Bourne has fashioned a tender, dark and funny dance play about the ultimate outcast… While not as profound as Bourne's Swan Lake or as sparky as his Mary Poppins, this new creation is amusing and attractive, an entertaining story well told. If the choreography feels like a work in progress and that's the real disappointment of this show, at least it keeps the dancers moving… With his long sad face, Archer is perfectly cast in the title role and, like Johnny Depp in the film, he oozes a gentle vulnerability."

Sarah Frater of The Evening Standard: "In Scissorhands, [Bourne has] found ingenious ways around theatre's flesh-and-blood constraints… What Bourne does less well is Burton's inky undertow. Bourne's Scissorhands is a lark, with few of the film's shadows and little of its tension. Part of the reason is that Bourne leaves out key scenes: there's no attempted robbery, Peg isn't an Avon Lady, and the Christmas party is a raving knees-up rather than the flop it is in the film. Bourne also misses Edward's innocence and sheer sense of bafflement, although the opening night dancer may be the reason… [Sam Archer's] performance lacked a sense of sorrow, and his movement conveyed little of the physical pain the sewn together Edward must feel."

Judith Mackrell of The Guardian: "The story and the music may be based on the movie, but the production has Bourne's unique comic, romantic footprints all over it. From the beginning the Bourne-Burton chemistry is fizzing. Visually the early scenes may be a direct recall of the movie--a gothic night sky framing the Frankenstein moment of Edward's creation--but Bourne uses them to add a tender history and establish his own aesthetic… Bourne is nothing if not a showman and just when you think he's lost the plot, he turns to produce an enchanting and raptly emotional ending. Whatever minor issues you may have with his interpretation, there is no denying that Bourne's Edward is a cracking piece of theatre. Superbly cast, steeped in stage tradition, it not only entertains but will surely send a new generation back to Burton's original movie."

Sarah Crompton of The Telegraph: "[Bourne] has produced is a fantastic family show… It looks wonderful, is full of brilliant comic detail, and engaging life. But Bourne has done the thing I least expected of him. He has missed the heart not only of Burton's film, but of his own best work… The barbecue where Edward is introduced to the community is wonderfully vivid, with Bourne employing his characteristic heightened naturalism to create a sophisticated, high-kicking jive for the youngsters, and languorous sunbathing for the grown-ups. But Edward himself has little to do… Only twice, does Bourne catch the sheer wonder and strangeness of his hero."

Zoë Anderson of The Independent: "Edward Scissorhands, which opened at Sadler's Wells with a celebrity audience, feels like Bourne-by-numbers, familiar characters or devices that have suffered a fatal loss of energy… The plot limps along… The Scissorhands characters are flat stereotypes: the pom-pom cheerleaders, the repressed religious nuts, the family with political ambitions and toothpaste smiles. If the caricatures lack vitality, so does the choreography."