As ubiquitous Nutcrackers open all over the ballet world what better alternative than Charles Dickens’ ultimate Christmas novella A Christmas Carol? Published in December 1843, it has never been out of print and remains one of his best loved books. It was immediately seized upon for its theatrical potential and David Bintley, the British choreographer, seemed the ideal choice to bring it to the ballet stage in this production for the Finnish National Ballet that premiered in 2023. He had proved his narrative skill early on with a successful adaptation of another 19th century story, Hobson’s Choice.
While Finnish design is award winning, this work needed the British touch and got it superlatively with Anna Fleischle’s designs for sets, costumes and projections and Sally Beamish’s evocative score.
Bintley’s choreography is distinctly English with fast light footwork and, in this instance, considerable character-based idiosyncrasies. Scrooge, as the central character, is a demanding role. He is rarely offstage and needs to make a convincing change from, in Dickens’ words, ‘a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner’ to a repentant charitable man. Johan Pakkanen did this and more, showing enough charm and humour to make the audience want to see him change. It’s a complicated text and the first act in particular, is effectively structured to close as Scrooge watches his younger self make the choice of money over happiness with the lovely Belle and weeps in despair at the lost opportunity.
The novella has a serious purpose namely to draw attention to the desperate poverty in Victorian England. It is epitomised in two feral children, Ignorance and Want, as a salutary warning. Ultimately it celebrates compassion, that most endearing of human emotions. The ballet opens gloomily on Marley’s funeral then rapidly moves into a ghost story as a spectral Marley appears to warn Scrooge of his fate if he does not repent. Three Christmas Spirits take over and lead Scrooge on his path to redemption. The scenes are interspersed with market and street scenes where Bintley takes the opportunity for plenty of lively dancing to Beamish’s arrangements of Christmas tunes. The arrival of three sailors adds to the mix with a vigorous hornpipe, inspiring bystanders to join in. More genteel dance happens in fine houses, and there is plenty of cheer and goodwill.
Martin Nudo, as Young Scrooge gave an excellent performance, full of youthful vigour and offering strong support for Belle (Violetta Keller) in pas de deux of lyrical beauty. Both give sensitive interpretations of their characters, so in love at Fezziwig’s party then tragically drifting apart. The relationship between Scrooge’s hardworking clerk, Bob Cratchit (Frans Valkama), his wife (Rebecca King-Piitulainen) and their four children is full of affection despite their poverty. The second act opens effectively on a huge pile of Christmas baubles with the Spirit of Christmas Present (Samuli Poutanen) sitting atop, presiding over the excess. It splits apart to reveal the warmth and love at the Cratchit meagre Christmas lunch. Valkama captures the joy of simple things, a series of brisk entrechats to warm his feet in the freezing office and the sorrow of Tiny Tim’s crippled leg, as he and his wife share their fears for Tim’s future in a tender duet.
As the Spirit of Christmas Past (Zhiyao Chen) was a true ballet fairy, in tulle frills and exquisitely placed pointes as she starts Scrooge on his journey. Also featured is Fred, Scrooge’s ebullient nephew, determined to cheer up his crabby uncle. Jun Xia gave a high-spirited performance, finally celebrating his uncle’s change as he joins the party. Bintley is keenly focused on the detail of each character. I loved Edita Raušerová’s wickedly comic housekeeper who suffers Scrooge’s bad temper and eventually gets to dance a jig on his grave.
The turning point comes when Scrooge confronts his own death and repents. The giant turkey is delivered to the Cratchit household but with so many young people choosing veganism, it might have been better to consign the poor bird rapidly to the kitchen rather than having the carcass joining in the dance. The final scenes struggle to build the critical mass for that final moment of infinite happiness. Jolly episodes bubbled along and it was the unbounded enthusiasm of the entire cast and some decent singing that carried Hark the Herald Angels, a stubbornly undanceable tune, for a closing moment. However, the audience responded enthusiastically to Olli Palkivaara, an utterly captivating Tiny Tim, sending us all home with a Christmas blessing.
A shout out for Fleischle’s clever and super effective set, flown in and out with minimal fuss to transform in an instant the scenes of the fast-flowing story. It was skilfully lit by Mark Henderson while conductor Aku Sorensen ensured lively support from the pit.
Maggie's trip was sponsored by Finnish National Opera and Ballet
