One of the most memorable movies of the last century is the haunting cinematic escape of Edward Scissorhands. This Tim Burton film – with its lavish sets, epic musical score and memorable cast – delivered a story about an uncommonly gentle man who had scissors for hands.

Now the magic that is Edward Scissorhands has jumped – literally – from its celluloid resting place and landed square on stage thanks to the vision of acclaimed director Matthew Bourne. The dance theatre adaptation of Edward Scissorhands, and amid the talented ensemble are Dominic North and Matthew Malthouse, two dancers who alternate playing the lead role of Mr Scissorhands.

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‘Yeah, I’d seen it before when I was a kid,’ said North of his original memories of the Burton blockbuster. ‘I think my sister had it on VHS, so I’d seen it quite a few times. I thought it was quite a good movie.’

‘I was inititally scared of the film,’ added Malthouse, ‘because I thought it was gonna be some kind of horror film and I tried to avoid watching it. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I watched it. I thought the character of Edward was incredible. And I just loved how the gothic and the incredibly suburban collided – I thought it was fantastic.’

This time round, Edward Scissorhands is a dance extravaganza, one filled with ice sculptures, living topiary and those larger than life scissors. But how did the two dancers incorporate the sizeable shears into the graceful artform that is dance?

‘The scissors make him have a certain element of grace,’ said North of how the dancers have gotten around Edward’s incredible appendages. ‘We’ve concentrated on how to use his creativity in other ways, like using his hands to get out his emotions. In the beginning he’s quite awkward and baby-like. He can’t walk that well and he doesn’t know how to gauge his arms, but he soon learns through mimicking.’

‘It’s certainly forced us to be more creative within the show,’ added Malthouse. ‘If you just had your normal hands and you were doing normal dancing, you’d probably do some run of the mill dance moves. But with the inclusion of the scissors, it means you can’t use your normal sort of practice, which forced us to use different sorts of lifts and different sorts of movement.’

Both the dancers have brought their own unique talents to the role: North his love of all things comedic and Malthouse a degree of vulnerability. Together the pair of them have created a character that shines with a unique childlike innocence.

‘It’s been good,’ said Malthouse of sharing the role with another dancer. ‘We’ve worked together previously and we’re quite good friends.’

‘I think it’s helpful,’ concluded North. ‘We help each other discover the role and we go on a journey together.’

Edward Scissorhands appears at His Majesty’s Theatre from July 1 to 6. Tickets are available now through BOCS Ticketing. www.bocsticketing.com.au