Last Chance

“Play Without Words”: Underlings try to seduce and debase their masters in Matthew Bourne’s two-act dance drama, an adaptation of Joseph Losey’s somber 1963 film, “The Servant.” But here, wisely, the spectacle turns darkly comic, with everyone trapped in cycles of lust and exploitation that generate laughter more than shock or pity. This full-evening Bourne creation confirmed his knack for turning expressive gesture into powerful full-body statements, for inventing social dances that sharply parody their sources and, above all, for telling a story with extraordinary zest and originality.

Ends Sunday at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. (213) 628-2772.