Why Scott’s an unlikely leading man

8:28am Thursday 22nd May 2008

Scott Ambler didn't take up ballet until he was 19 - and even then it was only for a laugh.

"My friends clubbed together and bought me ballet lessons for my birthday as a bit of a joke," he says. "I'd never seen a ballet in my life and had no interest in dance. Sport was my thing. But I went along to the lessons, determined to give it a go, and I loved it."

Before he knew it, Scott had landed a place at Ballet Rambert in London. "I had to catch up on six years of dance in six months," he says. Today he's a principal dancer and associate director of one of Britain's top dance companies, New Adventures, headed by world-acclaimed choreography/director Matthew Bourne.

Not bad for a Leeds lad who grew up not knowing his Swan Lake from his Sleeping Beauty!

Scott has been with New Adventures since it was founded two decades ago and he created the role of the Prince in the company's groundbreaking production of Swan Lake which, with its male ensemble, all bare-chested and feather britches, was hailed a theatrical landmark and won countless awards.

This week the company is in Bradford with its acclaimed production of Nutcracker!, a vibrant, witty take on the classic ballet. Scott plays Dr Dross, the owner of a bleak orphanage where central character Clara lives. The show opens in monochrome and bursts into a riot of colour when Clara and the other orphans escape to Sweetieland.

All the characters, including the orphans and the snooty Dross family, are transformed into sweets; Bovver boy gobstoppers, dancing-girl marshmallows, a lewd knickerbocker glory and Flamenco-stamping liquorice sticks.

"Dr Dross becomes King Sherbert, I wear a huge cake on my head which is a bit uncomfortable. Occasionally it gets knocked off and rips out chunks of my hair," grins Scott. "The sweetie costumes are pretty outlandish, and although they're designed for dance they suffer wear and tear. The wardrobe team are always on hand with a needle and thread. There are some quick changes - it's often as much a performance backstage as it is on stage!"

We're in the wardrobe department at the Alhambra where Scott is pulling out some fabulous costumes, from a yellow frilly leotard to a bright pink smoking jacket. On the floor stands a pair of bright blue Doc Marten-style boots, while on a shelf lies a line of black bowler hats and primary-coloured crash helmets. Dancers come and go, checking on wigs and accessories before the pre-performance warm-up.

"When I'm Dr Dross I wear a big, heavy coat. It's very dark and Dickensian," says Scott. "Then the show is transformed, Wizard of Oz-like, into colour. It's a family show but it works on different levels; children love the visual spectacle and the fact that adults are playing the orphans, while adults get more out of the humour, pathos and coming-of-age story which is at the heart of the show.

"Along with the Nutcracker himself, the snowfall scene is an element of the story that any production must include. Our version has the orphans ice-skating which is a lovely, fun expression of their new-found freedom.

"The choreography is interesting as they have to move like skaters, without being on ice. We drew on the rather twee style of Thirties ice skater Sonje Henie, who also skated in movies of the time."

The New Adventures dancers each have their own look and personality on stage, connecting with the audience via comical facial expressions. Scott says the acting is as important as dancing.

"We concentrate on the narrative. When each bunch of new dancers arrives we don't do any dancing at first, instead we go into the characters' background. There's room for individual interpretation, dancers don't usually get chance to do that. Each cast brings a different element to the show.

"In Nutcracker!, Dr Dross's spoilt children become Prince Bon Bon and Princess Sugar. The dancers particularly love playing them as they're such awful brats."

Scott starred in Bourne's Swan Lake on Broadway and is proud of the impact it had. "It got a lot of young lads interested in dance," he says. "These swans were very male and buff, there was a gang of them on stage. It was far removed from the traditional dainty female ensemble in frilly tutus. "We get audiences from across the board; fans of dance, theatre, film and music. There are lots of cinematic references in the shows, which breaks the ice with audiences who aren't necessarily into dance. And we always stay true to the original score, which is a big part of the story."

Scott says starting ballet later in life meant he brought life experience to his dancing. "Matthew (Bourne) didn't start dancing until he was 22, neither of us was brought up in a dance environment and we'd both done other things which helps when it comes to creative ideas.

"We're the same age and share the same cultural references, we grew up on the same films and know the same jokes. The younger dancers don't always get them!"

As Scott leads me through the wings, pointing out the 20ft-high three-tiered wedding cake taking centre stage, the crew is busy around us, drilling, shifting scenery and setting up lighting.

In just a few hours this stage, littered with bits of wood and coils of wire, will be transformed into a Dickensian orphanage where a bleak Christmas Eve unfolds. And tucked away in the wings is a candy-coated fantasy world ready to be rolled out.

• Nutcracker! runs at the Alhambra until Saturday. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.

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