REVIEW: The Nutcracker, English National Ballet, Mayflower Theatre
THERE can be few finer festive treats than an outing to The Nutcracker and the latest English National Ballet version is an absolute delight.
Choreographed by Wayne Eagling who first brought this ballet to the Mayflower in 2012, this brilliant new production has opened in Southampton prior to its London run and unsurprisingly, tickets are almost sold-out.
While ENB has a tradition of presenting a Nutcracker production every year since 1950 there is nothing dated or dusty about this spectacle, filled with joyful exuberance from the start and accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.
I particularly like the simplicity of this version which has a prologue and epilogue set in Clara’s bedroom where it is strongly suggested this adventure is just a dream – but what a dream!
The giant mice, rats, toy soldiers with hobby horses and the fight with the huge mouse trap which catapults bolder-sized cheese in battle, are splendid fun, and there is even a hot air balloon for Clara’s escape.
In Act I the scenery often resembles gilded or glittered Christmas cards across which the mystical Drosselmeyer works his magic and on a sparkling Christmas Eve Clara and her valiant Nutcracker take their balloon ride across the frost-dusted Edwardian London to the glistening land of snow where the adventure really begins.
Act II sees the stage laid bare as all the space and all the focus is on the extraordinary series of dances that takes place.
Every single member of this company is excellent, from the smallest dancers upwards, but the leads – Rina Kanehara (Clara), Aitor Arrieta (Nephew) and Fernando Carratala Colomo (Nutcracker) were breath-taking on press night. After the company delivered a series of themed dances – Spanish, Arabian, Chinese and Russian, there followed the shimmering Dance of the Sugar Plumb Fairy and uplifting Waltz of the Flowers, culminating in the heart-stopping pas de deux of Clara and the Nephew. The endless leaps, spins, extensions and sense of weightless floating was utterly mesmerising and magical. The costumes were surely plucked from every little girl's dream too. It’s a truly charming and magical Christmas cracker!
Limited tickets for the Southampton run, until December 2, are on sale from mayflower.org.uk or 023 8071 1811.
Hilary Porter
.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here