|
|
|
|
|
Max Maslen as ThePrince and Miki Mizutani as The Sugar Plum Fairy. Pictures: Johan
Persson The Nutcracker Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Hippodrome ***** BRB's Nutcracker is now as much part of the Midlands’ festive traditions as Christmas trees, mince pies and mulled wine, and once again has brought its own brand of magic to the season. It's 35 years since Sir Peter Wright gave this stunning version of Tchaikovsky's classic to Birmingham as a thank you for giving the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet a new home and it is a gift that shines and sparkles afresh year after year. Yet it never stands still, there are tiny changes, things you haven't noticed before, or, let's be honest, maybe just merely forgotten, to provide a constant, joyous freshness all aided by John Macfarlane’s sumptuous, stage filling designs and Sir Peter's wonderfully detailed and glorious staging. The familiar overture sees the curtain rise on the Stahlbaum Christmas Eve party, the home of ballet student Clara, danced wonderfully by Reina Fuchigami, where her mother, danced by Daria Stanciulescu, and her father Dr Stahlbaum danced by Jonathan Payn, welcome guests. Both parents, incidentally, being company répétiteurs – or coaches in footy terms. Adding to the party atmosphere comes the magician Drosselmeyer, flamboyantly danced by Lachlan Monaghan, along with his assistant danced by Ryan Felix.
Riku Ito as Jack-in-the-Box His magic brings us the mechanical dolls Harlequin, danced by Javier Rojas and Columbine, danced splendidly jerkily by Rosanna Ely and a lively Jack-in-the-Box, danced, or more bounced by Riku Ito, who is probably still getting his breath back. Amid it all we have student Clara and her gift, a Nutcracker doll . . . and her younger, peevish little brother Fritz, danced with admirable mischief bordering on wickedness by Elmhurst ballet school pupil Lawson Hateley. Two more répétiteurs make an appearance, keeping it in the family as Grandmother, Laëticia Lo Sardo and Grandfather, Rory Mackay, who gives us a sort of slow-motion dad's dance. It is when the party ends that the real story begins as Clara sneaks downstairs in the dark to hold her Nutcracker while everyone is asleep and midnight brings one of the most complex and brilliant scene changes in theatre as the embers of a Christmas Eve party become a magical fantasy, with Drosselmeyer as the MC as the tree grows into a giant conifer and the fireplace becomes the fiery entrance to the rat kingdom.
The magician Drosselmeyer, danced with a showman's flair by Lachlan Monaghan The toy soldiers and Nutcracker take on Mason King's Rat King and his rat brigade, while the Nutcracker is saved by Clara only to turn into a handsome prince, danced by Max Maslen. Another seamless scene change takes us to the Land of Snow, realm of The Snow Fairy, danced delightfully by Yuki Sugiura ending the act in a snowstorm, which blended well with the weather outside. The second act is a testament to the depth of talent at BRB with a sort of dance variety show, with a precise rhythmic Spanish dance from Sofia Liñares, Miles Gilliver and Javier Rojas; a slow, sensuous Arabian Dance full of Eastern promise from Eilis Small, Gabriel Anderson, Rafael Bejarano Vidal and Ixan Llorca Ferrer; an amusing and remarkably energetic Chinese Dance from Ryan Felix and Tom Hazelby; and a Cossack inspired, leg muscle testing Russian Dance from John Fontanini, Marlo Kempsey-Fagg and Thomas Kujawa.
Reina Fuchigami as Clara flying into Drosselmeyer's fantasty land More in classical ballet style we then had the Dance of the Mirlitons from Olivia Chang-Clarke, Alisa Garkavenko, Frieda Kaden and Sophie Walters which lead to The Dance of the Flowers with The Rose Fairy danced by Beatrice Parma. It is a dance that and sees Clara transformed into every little girl's dream of a ballerina, The Sugar Plum Fairy, danced divinely by Miki Mizutani in the celebrated Grand Pas de Deux with Max Maslen, classical ballet at its finest. Slowly the fantasy fades and we are back by the Stahlbaum tree with Clara clutching the Nutcracker doll on Christmas morning. If you have ever wondered about ballet this is a good one to start you off, It is simple story telling, easy to follow with plenty of variety of dance and has a familiar score of music you will have heard even if you have no idea where it was from, and the glorious score is played to perfection by the brilliant Royal Ballet Sinfonia under Conductor Jean-Claude Picard. The ballet endures and delights old and new audiences year after year because it is a celebration not just of ballet but of theatre, full of imagination, storytelling and beauty with glorious sets, staging and music – creating simply a celebration of Christmas. To 13-12-25 Roger Clarke 21-11-25 |
|
|
|
