Sugar and spice: The Nutcracker returns

By Mark Pullinger, 04 December 2018

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“Marianela Núñez duly shone... sparkling chaîné turns as delicate as spun sugar”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 3 December 2018

The Nutcracker (Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Sir Peter Wright)

The Royal Ballet

Barry Wordsworth, Conductor

Peter Wright, Director

Julia Trevelyan Oman, Set Designer

London Oratory Junior Choir

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Marianela Núñez, Dancer

Vadim Muntagirov, Dancer

Gary Avis, Dancer

Marcelino Sambé, Dancer

Anna Rose O'Sullivan, Dancer

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

Mejia debuts in a sumptuous Sleeping Beauty at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 12th February

Roman Mejia and a raft of soloist debuts galvanized Peter Martins' Sleeping Beauty. An elegant production with some incidental messiness and the structural liability of a princess' dependence on a kiss.

****1

Dutch National Ballet brings much needed heat to this winter season

Mark Vicente, 10th February

The Dutch National Ballet helped shake off those winter blues with a mixed programme that highlighted ballet’s love affair with Latin rhythms and movement.

****1

NYCB: Balanchine + Ratmansky program warms the audience

Ivy Lin, 20th January

NYCB has a winning triple bill with its Balanchine + Ratmansky program. Excellent dancing and contrasting works sends the audience home in buoyant mood.

*****

Ballet Nights, The New Year’s Day Concert: a win on all fronts

Deborah Weiss, 1st January

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence’s winning formula for his Ballet Nights series has brought in new and old works, concert and dance, and continues to push the boundaries into 2026.

****1

NEBT’s Nutcracker: pared down, efficient and exuberant

Deborah Weiss, 18th December

Valentino Zucchetti's Nutcracker for New English Ballet Theatre's may be economical on numbers but the cast make up for it in commitment.

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Sugar and spice: The Nutcracker returns to launch the festive season