THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING

I took Marine to see The Most Incredible Thing at Sadlers Wells recently. Tickets were originally booked as a surprise for Paul. But I forgot to remind him and he already had other plans. TYPICAL.

The Pet Shop Boys had teamed up with Javier De Frutos to re work Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale classic. This was the Pet Shop Boys' first composition for dance, and a debut I am glad I did not miss. A more than impressive creative team was put together to make the show, including Pet Shop Boys collaborator Sven Helbig, Tony Award winning designer Katrina Lindsay, and BAFTA award winning film animator Tal Rosner. The dream team, put together with a 26 piece orchestra and a insanely talented cast of 16, The Most Incredible Thing was set to WOW.

Featuring legendary dancer Ivan Putrov, the play takes us on the classic journey of oppression of the masses, then one day the king offers half his kingdom and his daughter's hand in marriage for the person who could present him 'the most incredible thing.' The good old journey of love, betrayal, jealousy and the happy ending is all present, and good does prevail in the end. Thank god for that.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect if I'm entirely honest... The Pet Shop Boys won BRITS and sold 100 million records, with 22 top ten hits, but were they capable of writing for the stage?? Yes. Is the answer. The score was incredible, and I hope it opens hundreds of new doors for dance. Classic stories can really benefit from a modern score. It can attract a whole new audience, which I find extremely exciting.

Below is a snippet of some of the score, no video, but great sounds...