Of all the film to play adaptations, Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands seemed like an obscure choice, but it's made for the stage just as much as it is for the movies.
Edward Scissorhands and Kim
In a Frankenstein-esque story- Edward is created by an inventor but is killed before he gives him human hands and results in him having scissors for fingers.
He is welcomed in by Peg Bloggs when she takes pity on him and he becomes part of the family, falling in love with her daughter Kim.
After the initial negative reaction to Edward, he becomes a hit in the area for his hair and hedge cutting skills and opens his own salon.
After a misunderstanding at the Christmas party- Edward is turned on by the town's locals and chased back to the house from where he first came. They attack him and he disappears, leaving only a pair of scissors behind. Kim treasures these for the rest of her life and she remembers him every time it snows, created by the shavings of the ice sculptures he carves for the town. Despite believing he is still alive, she decides never to see him again for he never ages and she only wants him to remember her the way she looked when she was young.
Dominic North was exceptional in his portrayal of Edward- he conveyed the innocence and curiosity of the character perfectly as though we were seeing the world through his eyes for the first time. I had great sympathy and admiration for Edward.
The play way as dark as it was light and wonderfully gothic which contrasted with the idealistic suburbia that Edward ingratiates himself into.
There was no dialogue, but that was compensated for by the complex dance routines, beautiful music by Danny Elfman and superb acting that conveyed every emotion in Edward's story.
My favourite scene had to be where Edward takes Kim to the maze and they dance through the moving hedgerows- it was both an enchanting and unique piece of theatre.
The cast had a standing ovation on opening night and it was well deserved. A tragic love story about seeing beyond the imperfections to discover what's really beneath the surface.
In all honesty, I wasn't sure how this was going to translate to the stage- but in making it their own by altering the story slightly- the cast and crew have outdone themselves with this production.