One could feel an excited buzz being generated in San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House this past Thursday for opening night of San Francisco Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Yes, much of it had to do with getting “even more back to normal” in the aftermath of so much pandemic upheaval in 2020 and 2021. But there was something else going on. Younger adults in the audience; new patrons to the arts; couples who'd decided it was high time to check out ballet and SF Ballet’s much-talked-about Nutcracker. The end result was not “back to normal” so much as, say, the first day of a new era. Which makes sense here, as, just days earlier, Tamara Rojo, former artistic director of English National Ballet, officially assumed the role of San Francisco Ballet’s artistic director, following Helgi Tomasson’s long, fruitful tenure of 37 years.
A sense of forthcoming change was a lot to take in on Thursday night, and fortunately, there was no immediate need. Familiarity and reassurances abounded. Tomasson’s beloved 2004 production graced the stage, displaying the familiar touches of Wendel K. Harrington’s projections, Martin Pakledinaz’s costumes and Michael Yeargan’s scenic design. Set in 1915 San Francisco, in the Stahlbaum family’s elegant Edwardian living room, Act 1 delivered its signature charm and wit. In Tomasson’s production, Clara is an adolescent, having recently experienced the wonders of the Panama-Pacific Exposition and all its cultural flavors, smartly represented by dolls situated inside a glass display cabinet. The dolls, in return, represent the dancers and dances who perform for Clara in in Act 2. It’s a great device that connects the whole production, one of many clever, thoughtful flourishes scattered through the production. Tiit Helimets and Neve Chang both brought energy and authenticity to their roles as Uncle Drosselmeyer and Clara, respectively.
Through the evening, casting followed a reassuring familiarity. Yuan Yuan Tan and Henry Sidford danced as Land of Snow’s Queen and King in a reprise from opening night last year. The younger, greener Sidford paired beautifully with Tan, that most iconic of San Francisco Ballet dancers, now in her 27th season with the company. Joseph Walsh was a warm, exuberant prince, always so likeable in addition to being a really good dancer. “I could watch that prince dance all night,” was my friend’s first comment at show’s end. Meanwhile two relatively new dancers to the roster, Nikisha Fogo and Misa Kuranaga, received rapturous and well-deserved approbation from the audience. Fogo, as Sugar Plum Fairy (who, in this production, dances as soloist in Waltz of the Flowers) is a particular favorite of mine, reprising the role from last year’s opening night, with her luxurious arms and hand gestures, a sense of effortlessness to the often tricky footwork, and picture-perfect arabesques.
The night held numerous small pleasures. In Act 1, this included the little girls in the audience who gasped aloud in wonder at the first sight of Lauren Parrott’s dancing doll, and the soundless landings of Lonnie Weeks’ harlequin leaps. Alexander Reneff-Olson’s nefarious Mouse King and his spectacular demise seemed particularly funny this year. Everything about Land of Snow beguiled, from its astonishing blink-and-you-missed-it scenery transformation, to the dancing, amid 150 pounds of falling snow. Kudos in Act 2 to Arabian Dancer WanTing Zhao’s sinuous perfection, Lucas Erni in the Russian Dance for his extraordinary tour jeté leap with splits and a perfect land on one knee, and unison precision for the French dancers (Blake Johnson, Pemberley Ann Olson, Maggie Weirich) with their long, looping ribbons on sticks.
The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, led on Thursday night by music director Martin West, delivered a robust rendition of Tchaikovsky’s score, often at a brisk clip that energized the dancers (by necessity), particularly in the final Grand Pas de Deux, which highlighted the excellence and technical precision of principals Joseph Walsh and Misa Kuranaga (dancing as an adult Clara). They deftly tackled tricky passages and whisks into fish dives, three times in a row, in perfect time. In the coda, Walsh’s fabulous jumps and leaps, Kuranaga’s impeccable fouetté turns, all propelled the pas de deux, and the ballet, to a rousing, dazzling conclusion.
It will be interesting to observe how the future unfolds for San Francisco Ballet in this post-Tomasson era. This production is a reliable delight in an increasingly unreliable, fraught world, and my hope is that, whatever changes must arise in the future, it doesn’t come any time soon for this irresistible Nutcracker.
