Watching Nutcracker with the family in the festive season is becoming a holiday tradition in Japan too with many companies performing Nutcracker in December. National Ballet of Japan performs the most Nutcrackers (18 performances this year) here, saying goodbye to Wayne Eagling's version after eight years, premiering a new production choreographed by Will Tuckett.
Tuckett has aimed to create a Nutcracker with a “timeless” feel, a version that seems at once fresh while also traditionally “classic”. He has set the story in the same era as Tchaikovsky, early 1900s. Collaborating with the designer Colin Richmond, they have created a romantic, sophisticated version of a traditional Christmas in Act 1, with the warm, bright colours of the dresses reminiscent of the turn of the century Europe. The large Christmas tree on top of a classic/modern staircase grew huge at midnight.
Here, Clara is slightly older, in her mid-teens, and she eventually dances the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the second act. Clara meets her godfather Drosselmeyer and his young Assistant, who takes care of the injured Nutcracker doll, and transforms into the Nutcracker Prince – Clara already has a crush on him as the Assistant. There is a strict Dancing Mistress who teaches the children the dances and reappears as the Rat Queen at midnight, accompanied by her timid husband. There is a touch of romance between the Butler (Master of the Kingdom of Sweets in Act 2) and the Housekeeper (the Head Confectioner), and the drama unfolds fluidly.
After Clara and the Nutcracker Prince defeat the Rat Queen and the tiny and cute rats, there's a pas de trois between Clara, Drosselmeyer and the Nutcracker Prince. The three travel together to the Land of Snow and to the Kingdom of Sweets as in most Nutcrackers.
What is unusual are the designs in Act 2’s Kingdom of Sweets, consisting of pink and red, bright, colourful, funny and charming, a complete contrast to the stylish designs of Act 1. The three are welcomed by the Kingdom’s Head Confectioner and the divertissements, no longer based on the nationalities of the previous version. The Spanish is replaced by an English dance, arranged by the conductor Martin Yates who has assembled some of Tchaikovsky’s sketches. The former Arabian is an enchanting dance by fluffy Candy Floss, the Chinese is a hilarious Jelly dance, with two soloists dancing inside a huge trembling jelly. The Russian is a Popcorn dance with light bravura leaps and turns. The Pastoral is Candy Cane and the Waltz of the Flowers is led by the Fondant Rose couple. On top of all this is the Grand pas de deux which follows the Petipa choreography but is danced in a very British style.
When Clara wakes up from her adventurous dream, Drosselmeyer’s Assistant has repaired the Nutcracker doll, and her young love seems to blossom with him by her side.
This new Nutcracker seemed to receive mixed reactions from the audience. This might have been because Eagling's version required high speed and complicated partnering, virtuoso technique in the divertissements and dynamic movements and patterns in the corps de ballet numbers. Tuckett's version is more focused on the drama, the sugary second act is family friendly and the choreography is less virtuosic, more comical. The Snow Scene lacked dynamism and did not do justice to the excellent corps de ballet praised so highly by the press in their London performances. Tuckett's Nutcracker does however, highlight the increased dramatic ability of the company's dancers, and it is enjoyable with its delightful, unusual designs. Each of the main characters were lively and attractive and I could sense that the children in the audience were especially loving the production.
On opening night, Yui Yonezawa was perfection as Clara, shy at the beginning but with curiosity at the same time, her character blossomed as the ballet progressed. Her Sugar Plum Fairy was ballet heaven: precise footwork, excellent musicality, creamy port de bras with crisp diagonal turns in the coda. Takafumi Watanabe as the Assistant/Nutcracker Prince also deserves praise, especially in the second act solo with his soft landings and airy leaps, when the music was much faster than expected. Yudai Fukuoka was a charismatic Drosselmeyer with a strong stage presence and Yui Negishi as the Dance Mistress/Rat Queen was snide and outrageous. All the company dancers were on good form, and I am looking forward to seeing how this production develops and becomes another audience favourite over the coming years.
