English National Ballet presents

 

Nutcracker

 

Rhys Antoni Yeomans as the Nutcracker Doll in English National Ballet's Nutcracker

by Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith (c)

 

Choreography and Concept Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith

 

Set and Costume Design, Concept Dick Bird

 

Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

 

Lighting Design Paul Pyant

 

Video Design Leo Flint

 

Illusion Designer and Direction John Bulleid

 

English National Ballet Philharmonic

 

Music Director and Conductor Maria Seletskaja

 

Leader Matthew Scrivener

 

Trinity Voices Choir

 

London Coliseum

 

12 December 2024 - 12 January 2025

2

 

 

 

 

A Feature by Mary Fox Couzens for EXTRA! EXTRA!


It is hard to know where to begin when a production is so evocatively staged that you, as a viewer, seemingly, forget about the distance between you and the dancers and offer your wholehearted consent to be whisked off, as in a puff of smoke, into Clara's dream, to a candy laden world you thought you knew, which has actually, been so refreshingly reinterpreted here that you and the child in you may literally, forsake all others to champion it. But wait, surely this production, literally, for me, one in a long line of a lifetime of Nutcracker ballets I've seen, many of which, I've also enjoyed, could have been just one of many. Yet there are so many stunningly executed variables in terms of staging and points of view here that I was not only thoroughly engrossed within moments of taking my seat but a willing participant in the storyline. I hope you have more than a moment to spare, as my enthusiasm for this production bubbles over with such excitement that this year, E.N.B.’s festive reenactment of the beloved tale has handily replaced all others residing in my imagination and memory to become the definitive version! In my case, that's saying something because my mind also houses memories of a sentimental nature of a much more pared-down version of Nutcracker, witnessed from a box on the floor of the Philadelphia Academy of Music whilst a night before Christmas Eve blizzard raged outside. But that was long ago...And fans of this ballet in the here and now, having seen and savoured this version will need no further encouragement from me to revisit it with joy in their inward eye as poet William Wordsworth dubbed our site of lovely, treasured memories.

 

As we took our seats, the colourful curtain proclaimed that we were at Drosslemeyer's Emporium, with locations in Nuremburg, London and St. Petersburg. And if you love Tchaikovsky's score, as I do, you will welcome the thrills accompanying its live opening strains. In this case, it is almost instantly obvious to those watching the action taking place upon the curtain, where a Nutcracker doll periodically changes his expression, dropping his jaw and moving his eyes, that although the journey we will be undertaking with the company will have many recognizable characters, the journey itself will be unique! And so it is, with its sweepingly seamless, almost cinematic scene and perspective changes, fresh costuming and as expertly mounted staging as one could imagine. Every moment of the reinvented scenarios you are watching engages you, inviting you, if you are open to it, to make the journey together with the company whom you tend to forget is any sort of company at all as you become an active participant in Clara’s dream. This coupling in itself surprised and delighted me as it made it so easy to get engrossed in the story that I quickly forgot where I was and when. As a fairytale fan, you could say that I’m easily led, but you will soon see for yourself when you take this journey! Clara’s dream world is a land where Sugar Plums hold court and customers are sure to be amazed at the confectionary delicacies on offer. In fact, in this production, it is as if every Wonkaesque sparkling sweet sampled springs to delightful life. I spied hints of a few contemporary yet timeless references as I found myself being carried along, though I was aware while spying them that I was projecting based on my own repertoire of things which put me in mind of other things, a natural occurrence in our image-laden culture. 

 

This uniquely refreshing production is set in Edwardian London, hearkening back to the period in which the London Coliseum was built and Tchaikovsky‘s Nutcracker had its premiere on December 18, 1892, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ironically, and to me, rather magically, the Coliseum itself opened on Christmas Eve, 1904. Given this production's very English setting, I'd be forgiven for having fleeting thoughts of Mary Poppins, inspired by dancing Suffragettes and Chimney Sweeps in opening street-level scenes. This heady ballet is also one of the English National Ballet's inventive ways of celebrating its 75th Anniversary. Rest assured you are in the most capable hands with E.N.B., as they have been staging productions of Nutcracker since 1950, back when they must have been one of, if not the first company in the U.K. to do so. For although Tchaikovsky's ‘Nutcracker Suite’ was already, musically popular, productions of the accompanying ballet themselves did not start becoming popular until around that time.

 

It is also great here to see much-needed edits to the action in Act I in place which the ballet might have benefited from decades ago were it not for the traditionalists often staging Nutcracker, wisely and imaginatively enacted. That alone could elevate this E.N.B. version above all others. Yet the innovations don't stop there but continue apace with a flow and dazzling awareness that renders them not only seamless but enables the audience to willingly allow something many of them have professed to love over the years to be reinterpreted anew, much to the benefit of all involved! Welcome sleight of hand is at work here, enabling viewers to become children again. There are far too many delightful surprises in this production for me to be in danger of unwrapping its sweetness by mentioning just a few of my favourites. 

 

That said, it must be added that one of the unexpected pleasures of this production is its tasteful use of animated projections to enhance magical scenes, shift points of view, and heighten drama and suspense. Two of the greatest examples of these for me are bookended near the beginning of the production and, at its end. In the first case, my silent admiration for the skill and artistry employed from a viewer's point of view was seamlessly shifted from the basement to the store above to the outside of the building housing both, at the start of a lane reminiscent of the old-fashioned looking one leading to St. Paul's Cathedral. Near the end, we as viewers are transported from the land of Sugar Plums back to Clara, the girl dreaming with her Nutcracker doll on a chaise longue in her palatial living room. Both fall under the heading of 'how did they do that?' as we surrender to the artistic wizardry and as stated earlier, accompany rather than merely follow Clara's journey, a unique experience to savour and enjoy. In between, I can't even begin to speak of my admiration for the artful revamping of segments featuring the Rat King and his army here. Suffice it to say that E.N.B. has undertaken to up the delights in this production whilst lowering its frights.

 

 

English National Ballet in Nutcracker by Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith (C) Johan Persson  

 

In addition to all of the aforementioned, there are the costumes and stage settings which range from putting on a happy face cheerful to breathtakingly beautiful. One of my particular favourites, well two of them, were the red and white striped outfits with what looked like cupcake cup white skirts and black and white swirly jumpsuits worn by a moustachioed group reminiscent of turn of the (20th) Century strong men in a circus. But each segment in the land of sweets feels surprisingly fresh and original, with new takes on old themes. The staging for the Snowflakes is a gorgeously elevated standout with its giant silver Christmas ball serving as a full moon amid a sea of icicles, reminiscent of Christmas illustrations from long-bygone eras. Here too was supremely executed dancing, led by Madison Whiteley as the Ice Queen.

 

 

 

Anna Nevzorova as Ice Queen and English National Ballet dancers in Nutcracker by Aaron S. Watkin 

and Arielle Smith (c) Johan Persson

 

Nathaniel Ritter-Magot, leaping into the lead in the Liquorice Allsorts segment, bounding effortlessly across the stage, tall hat and lanky frame reminiscent of Dr. Suess’s The Cat in the Hat was also a standout in his featured role. Among the more noticeable changes that were met with audible approval from the audience, at least in my section of the house were that in the Arabian Dance during which a talented dancer has customarily writhed, snake-like to the exotic strains, intermittently tinkling tiny bells on toes and fingers. Here, we have a creamy, streamlined diva inspired by the likes of ‘‘Material Girl’ Madonna, with shades of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ via quirky outfit and frothy hairstyle, nonchalantly being toted to and fro by the pair of Mocha suited he men who’d formerly flanked her oversized latte cup. 

 

 That said, whatever their flavour/connotations, each segment of this kaleidoscopic production features dancing that is nothing short of sublime! At the matinee production, I attended, lovely Haruhi Otani in her debut as the adolescent Clara shone, and together with her partner, Rentaro Nakaaki also dancing his debut as her Nutcracker Prince elevated their performances to a high calibre. Together, they moved so gracefully, ever, skilfully, and at times almost, romantically, as a pair perched on the leaving edge of childhood. Likewise, Katja Khaniukova danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy with her paramour Ken Saruhashi as the Sugar Plum Cavalier. Together, the pair personified poise and grace as they spread enchantment across the stage. It must be added here that the dancers exude and spread delight thanks to alternatively joyous, moving, light-hearted, bittersweet, at times, humorous, ever-apropos choreography, changing and dazzling in each moment as scenes suggest. There is not one part of this production that does not inspire, yet each does so in such beautifully understated ways that my eyes water at the memory of them. I don't think I was in my seat for a full ten minutes before I heard myself thinking, 'I could easily sit through this again'. That response was, more or less automatic, even though I've lost count of how many Nutcrackers I've watched in my lifetime, beginning with my pre-school years. I am so full of praise and gratitude for this particular production of the ballet that in hindsight, I could only think to recount to you some of my favourite moments in it, though there were none that I did not enjoy.

 

If this production were a film, I am sure that if you're into credits, as I am, you'd be sitting for some time while page after page of creative artists' names scrolled by. Yet, the weight of their obviously, collective artistry only serves to make this production all the more endearing. Therein, lays the art! There isn't one moment throughout that does not involve teamwork, and it is the weight of that collective labouring of love that makes the overall results so light. It is as if a group of magicians have gathered to see how best not just to hold the audience's interest but mesmerize them! I was speechless at the interval, apart from singing this production's praises in somewhat hushed tones, as were many around me, younger audience members, showing their reactions through shining eyes and beaming smiles, in anticipation of Act II. Some dance sequences, in conjunction with Tchaikovsky’s legendary score, combined with evidence of creative input all around them, via sets, costumes, and choreography, had elevated my spirits while I was savouring them, nearly to the point of inspiring happy tears! But I reiterate...In short, this production is a dream come true! Rarely, if ever, have I felt so moved by any reenactment of a beloved story that I know so well. In addition to thanking Tchaikovsky himself for accepting and elevating an assignment that he initially felt unsure about, I feel both humbled and grateful to the English National Ballet company of dancers, whose contributions to this production, one and all, are the result of a lifetime of dedication to their art, to viewers great benefit. At the conclusion of the ballet, to my surprise, I heard myself spontaneously letting out a good old-fashioned New York taxi whistle, I’d been that dazzled by what I had experienced. I have no memory of doing that before, ever in my nearly twenty years of appraising all manner of artistic performances in writing! Likewise, intermittent hearty pantoesque chuckles spontaneously erupted from a certain burly audience member seated behind me in response to wittier moments in the production.

 

 This season and beyond, let E.N.B.’s Nutcracker become one of the stars on your tree of festive memories. If, like me, you were fortunate enough to have witnessed this marvellous production and are thinking of going back to support this company's artistry again, by all means, book for upcoming productions. All I can add here in relation to their deservedly, much-praised Nutcracker is one last enthusiastic ‘Bravo!’

 

 

 

 Emma Hawes as Sugar Plum Fairy and Aitor Arrieta as Sugar Plum Cavalier

 in English National Ballet's Nutcracker by Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith (c) Johan Persson

 

 

 https://www.ballet.org.uk/ 

 


 

 

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