The Red Shoes was originally a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. 100 years later, Powell and Pressburger adapted it for the silver screen. And almost 200 years later, The Red Shoes – a story about a pair of cursed dancing shoes – was finally made into a ballet.
Coming to you from the laureled choreographer Matthew Bourne (best known for his nearly all-male Swan Lake), The Red Shoes won a slew of acclaim and awards (including two Oliviers) when it premiered in 2016. And now, after its 2020 revival was cut short by the pandemic, the show will be returning to the stage at Sadler’s Wells in Islington with a seven week run over Christmas – perfect frosty weather viewing.

Johan Persson
So, what’s the story? Well, as with so many Hans Christian Anderson tales it features both a tragic heroine and a faint obsession with feet. A young girl dares to wear some inappropriate red shoes to church, discovers she can’t stop dancing, and eventually begs for an executioner to cut off her feet – which then dance merrily off into the woods without her. The moral of the story: stop wanting nice things and hoping for sexual liberation, ladies!
The story got an update in 1948 with the release of Powell and Pressburger’s visually stunning film. Famous for its surreal 17 minute ballet sequence, it won multiple Oscars and a Golden Globe, and is regularly named in lists of the top films of all time. A hundred years after the tale was first penned, the narrative focusses more on the career of a rising star ballerina, the tug-of-war between love and ambition, and the notion that art is worth dying for.

Alastair Muir
It’s this rendition that has shaped Matthew Bourne’s stage adaptation, which is set to a live orchestration of the film’s stirringly dramatic soundtrack. It’s a truly jaw-dropping production; a creation 20 years in the making and a typically brilliant demonstration of Matthew Bourne’s innovative and passionate choreography.
Expect intoxicating love affairs, backstage drama, award-winning costumes, impressive chorus routines and, of course, mesmerising solos from the ill-fated prima ballerina herself.
Her dancing is totally en pointe.
NOTE: The Red Shoes plays at Sadler’s Wells, Islington, from 2nd December 2025 – 18th January 2026. Tickets start at £15 and go on general sale from 5th February (priority booking open now). You can find out more, and get tickets, on the Sadler’s Wells website.
The Red Shoes | Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN
Fancy dinner beforehand? Check out the best restaurants in Islington