Kansas City Ballet's The Nutcracker: refreshingly classic

Kansas City Ballet in Devon Carney's The Nutcracker

Kansas City Ballet in the Snow Scene in Devon Carney's The Nutcracker

Kansas City Ballet in Devon Carney's The Nutcracker

Naomi Tanioka and Gavin Abercrombie as Sugar Plum and her Cavalier in The Nutcracker

By Hilary Stroh, 02 December 2023

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Then there were the wildly wonderful, preposterously uncouth Mice”

Reviewed at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City on 1 December 2023

The Nutcracker (Devon Carney, Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov)

Kansas City Ballet

Ramona Pansegrau, Conductor

Alain Vaes, Set Designer

Holly Hynes, Costume Designer

Trad Burns, Lighting Designer

Kansas City Symphony

Aiden Duffy, Dancer

Naomi Tanioka, Dancer

Gavin Abercrombie, Dancer

Whitney Huell, Dancer

Andrew Vecseri, Dancer

Angelin Carrant, Dancer

Jake Lapham, Dancer

Troy Moner-Levin, Dancer

Amanda DeVenuta, Dancer

Kansas City Ballet in Swan Lake: good girl vs bad girl

Hilary Stroh, 17th October

Swan Lake opens the season for Kansas City Ballet in a splendid looking production and with very pleasing interpretations.

****1

Kansas City Ballet: Peter Pan offers a magical Neverland

Hilary Stroh, 16th February

Devon Carney's Peter Pan is alluring and terrifically comic: tantrums, sulking, pranks and fun, all thrown into the mix.

*****

KCB's authentic Cinderella has clear narrative and plenty of parody

Hilary Stroh, 17th February

Devon Carney's Cinderella is fast-moving and busy, with the stepsisters cavorting across the stage as the epitome of pantomime dames

****1

An enthralling Giselle opens the Kansas City Ballet season

Hilary Stroh, 14th October

An engaging and emotionally authentic rendition of the 19th-century classic features Kaleena Burks in the title role.

****1

Wit and wonder in Kansas City Ballet's Nutcracker

Hilary Stroh, 5th December

Devon Carney’s wittily choreographed Nutcracker returns to charm the Kauffman stage.

****1

Steely swans in Kansas City

Hilary Stroh, 14th February

Kaleena Burks impresses in her role as Odette/Odile in Kansas City Ballet's Swan Lake.

****1

More reviews...

Hilary Stroh

Hilary is an independent scholar and academic historian, based in DC. She has a background in violin, piano and ballet. Educated at Dublin and Cambridge, she has recently published her first two books.