It was a miracle that this show happened at all, and even more magical that from the adversity of getting any kind of ping-free cast together, came a stupendous show, one that ended my year of dance not in the whimper and wail of Covid’s stranglehold on our theatres but in an explosion of joy and sheer entertainment. Eventually, just two days’ later, this show went the way of just about all others in London’s theatre world and closed due to the Omicron spike, but I count myself so fortunate to have caught the New Adventures’ family at their very best.
The casting was not as intended and this particular mix of available performers had not previously worked together in the production, including understudies performing tracks for the very first time. However, the close-knit integration of the New Adventures’ team meant that this impromptu cast could not have appeared slicker or better prepared.
Although it is virtually 30 years since Sir Matthew Bourne created his idiosyncratic vision of Nutcracker! it had not been seen for almost a decade and so this season is both a celebration and a revival. The narrative structure appeared unaltered but certain elements of design and choreography have been refreshed and clearly to great effect.
Bourne’s first act is set in a Dickensian orphanage, rather than an upper-class household, and the second act at an exclusive “Sweetieland” party where the danced divertissements are defined by confection and not national lines (thus avoiding any cultural stereotypes). Bourne has retained the essential core story of first love (between Clara and the Nutcracker, aka her orphanage sweetheart) and the three inviolate elements of any traditional interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s marvellous score: the magical, growing Christmas tree; the Nutcracker’s transformation from doll to boyfriend; and the snowflakes, the latter providing a festive opportunity for Bourne to channel his reflections on Sonje Henie’s 1930s ice-skating magnificence into seamless theatrical choreography. Along the way, there are myriad other references to film history, from the obvious (Annie, Oliver, Busby Berkeley and any of the Broadway Melodies or Gold Diggers of the 1930s) to the less so (the first emergence of the Nutcracker from the closet was vaguely reminiscent of Frankenstein; the party transformation of Clara reminded me of Cinderella; and there is a touch of The Lord of the Flies about the orphans’ revolt).
This is a triumph of storytelling, choreography, stunning designs (Anthony Ward) and lighting (Howard Harrison) and, of course, Tchaikovsky’s magical and melodic music, which was performed at a tempo that worked superbly at every level by the New Adventures Orchestra, conducted admirably by Benjamin Pope. It is all so well crafted and co-ordinated under Bourne’s direction but none of that means anything without stage performances to match and this extemporaneous cast delivered to the very highest degree.
Ben Brown and Cordelia Braithwaite were splendid as Clara and her Nutcracker/boyfriend, radiating a chemistry of believability as vulnerable inmates of Doctor Dross’ Orphanage for Waifs and Strays and in their subsequent adventures on the road to – and at – Sweetieland. Both bring a palpable and charismatic sense of joy to their stagecraft.
Dominic North is another performer always seemingly on top form and he was sensational once more as both the gluttonous Fritz (son of the Orphanage owners) and the sparkling Prince Bon-Bon in the Frozen Lake and at Sweetieland, performing opposite Monique Jonas, equally charismatic as both his wicked sister and Princess Sugar. The awful Doctor Dross and his wife, the Matron, who reappear in Sweetieland as King Sherbert and Queen Candy, were portrayed with charming pantomime nastiness in the best of British traditions by Danny Reubens and Daisy May Kemp. Alistair Beattie and Shoko Ito doubled-up to memorable effect as Clara’s best friends who become the cupids that guide her on the journey to Sweetieland.
The cherry on the top of this deliciousness came in the sweetie diverts, every one of which is superbly conceived and was arrestingly performed, including the hilarious Humbug Bouncer; the fantastic liquorice allsorts trio (the dress worn by Kayla Collymore is sensational); and the ebullient, crash-helmeted gobstoppers. Bourne’s choreography for the “Arabian” music is as slick as it gets and the performance by Jonathon Luke Baker as the suave, smoking Knickerbocker Glory with the whipped cream hair was compelling. A special mention is required for the sexy Marshmallow Girls, a hastily assembled quintet including two performers dancing these roles for the first time. It certainly didn’t show. These individual dances are framed around tremendous ensemble choreography that was energetically and joyfully delivered.
The show is set to run until the end of January and, although some performances have been lost, hopefully this dazzling spectacle will soldier on triumphantly through the next month. If you are looking for something to inoculate against the gloom of these dismal days then there is no finer booster than this!
