Back for another dose of Sir Peter Wright’s 1990 production of The Nutcracker for Birmingham Royal Ballet and I confess to finding its enduring appeal really thrilling. There are many reasons why it still ticks all the boxes but the starting point is Sir David Bintley’s production. The choreography is still Wright’s, but Bintley has reimagined the production for the vast space of the Royal Albert Hall.
Ballet is mostly watched in theatres with a proscenium arch. Derek Deane changed all that with his Swan Lake in-the-round for English National Ballet in 1997. While BRB’s Nutcracker is not exactly ‘in-the-round’, it is still viewed from almost every angle and open to forensic scrutiny. What many might assume would be lost in the cavernous auditorium of the RAH, becomes an enveloping, all-inclusive, gorgeously sweet indulgence in everything that classical ballet has to offer. It’s accessible to all and judging by the packed house and the warm reception, this version of the Christmas classic works particularly well in this venue.
It's always pleasing to see new casts and at this performance it was Katherine Ochoa’s Clara that made the biggest impression. Hailing from Cuba and in her first season with BRB, not only did she display the confident technical precision that we have come to expect from Cuban trained dancers but she has a warmth and charm that transported us all into Clara’s world. The role demands that she carries the story and indeed, also has the lion’s share of the dancing. This she did with aplomb. Definitely one to watch.
Act 1 has many other opportunities to observe emerging talents. Javier Rojas was an attentive and fluid Dancing Partner to Clara. Louis Andreasen gave a very persuasive account of Drosselmeyer, somehow managing to echo Simon Callow’s booming voiceover at intervals throughout the performance. Enrique Bejarano Vidal was explosive as the Jack-in-the-Box, a gift for anyone that is actually able to carry this off. But for this veteran of Nutcrackers, my favourite parts of the first act have always been the Transformation Scene and Battle, and the Snow Scene.
At the RAH, the restrictions with the use of flies to drop cloths or grow the Christmas tree has meant projections have to do the job of prompting the imagination. 59 Productions provide these projections with spectacular success. By the time the battle between the soldiers and rats had ensued, it felt almost like an art installation where we were personally involved. Lighting (Peter Teigen), sets (Dick Bird) and costumes (John Macfarlane) all contribute to making this an unforgettable experience.
The dramatic change to the Snow Scene was equally stunning. Yuki Sugiura as the Snow Queen led her Snowflakes and Winds with assured authority. The mass of swirling ensembles in both scenes was very exciting and especially good was the addition of the male Winds who whipped up a storm with their flying jetés. The best thing though, was having the Royal Ballet Sinfonia seated above the stage in front of the enormous organ. Under the baton of Thomas Jung, Tchaikovsky’s score has never been more gloriously interpreted.
Act 2 opened where Act 1 closed. After the journey to the Land of the Sweets, the divertissements here have retained the original names of the Spanish, Arabian, Chinese and Russian – one of the few current productions to do so. While they were all superbly well executed, I’m less engaged than I used to be, though there is still an element of intrigue watching new dancers. Alfie-Lee Hall and Yusuke Otake were splendid in the Chinese and John Fontanini, Thomas Kujawa and Oisín Middleton pulled out some virtuosic stops in the Russian.
Reina Fuchigami led a gracious Waltz of the Flowers as The Rose Fairy, another piece of Tchaikovsky’s music that never fails to make my heart soar. And finally to the grand pas de deux for Riku Ito as The Prince and Yaoqian Shang as The Sugar Plum Fairy. Ito at least, had already appeared on stage, partnering Clara. Shang had to wait the entire ballet to step out and do a very challenging pas de deux without any kind of audience warm up. She looked unfazed by the demands. Both she and Ito gave impeccable renditions with a radiance and confidence that belied the difficulties of the roles.
It’s a ravishing looking production, with great attention to detail and BRB boasts a roster of excellent alternative casts. This is certainly one of the most enjoyable productions on the circuit, always worth returning to.
