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Christmas countdown begins
Karla Doorbar, who was Clara in the second performance of this season's The Nutcracker, dancing through the falling snow. Pictures: Bill Cooper
The Nutcracker
Birmingham Royal Ballet
***** IT’S 24 years since Sir Peter Wright gave
his new production of Tchaikovsky’s classic festive ballet to Birmingham
to mark the arrival of Birmingham Royal Ballet in the city and it is a
gift that just keeps on giving. While the festive season might start in September
sunshine as far as some shops are concerned, in Birmingham, Christmas
arrives with The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome. From the moment Dr Stahlbaum, played by BRB
ballet master Domini Antonucci, welcomes guests to his plush home
for a Christmas Eve party, you can almost taste the mince pies and
mulled wine. Laura Purkiss makes a lovely Clara, the innocent
ballet student with the dreamy imagination, while Benjamin Sears is a
real, petulant younger brother Fritz, the sort of kid you are glad is
not yours. His wicked smile of pure small boy evil as he broke Clara’s
nutcracker doll is priceless. Valentin Olovyannikov gives us that haughty
When Fritz pulls the doll’s head off we see the
magic powers of Drosselmeyer as he joins head and body together again
without touching them, but if that was clever the next piece of illusion
is real magic. These days we are surrounded by computer graphics, 3D and video effects but if you want to see real stagecraft the transformation scene as designer John Macfarlane’s wonderful Christmas tree set is still one of the finest and most dramatic scene changes in modern theatre. As Clara comes back downstairs at midnight when all the guests have left and family and servants are in bed, the clock chimes midnight and the Christmas tree and the set magically grow to enormous size, making huge demands on the skill of the faultless stage crew.
Making the Christmas tree magically grow in turn shrinks Clara until she is the same size as her nutcracker doll played by César Morales. Before the introductions though the nutcracker
first has to fight off King Rat, played by Brandon Lawrence, and his rat
army - with
First performance was a bit heavy on the smoke
from the giant fireplace, an example of David Finn’s excellent lighting,
glowing like the gates of Hell as the rats flooded out to attack Clara,
which meant the action was in a bit of a fog but that was a simple thing
to put right. We also get a second transformation from the giant Christmas tree into the land of snow - with a realistic snow fall - and then Clara crossing the stage aboard a flying swan – which raised a round of applause. In truth Macfarlane's superb design for The Nutcracker is worth its own curtain call. The second act sees Drosselmayer stage a grand
entertainment to mark Clara’s bravery against the rat invasion, which is
a chance for party pieces with a Spanish Dance from Samara Downs,
William Bracewell and Jonathan Caguioa, and the sensuous Arabinam Dance
with Delia Mathews, recovering rat Brandon Lawrence, Luke Schaufuss and
Edivaldo Souza da Silva Humour comes with a Chinese Dance with James
Barton and Kit Holder jumping around while with a hint of Cossacks we
had Alexander Bird, William Beagley and Feargus Campbell in a lively
Russian Dance before the Dance of the Mirlitons by Karla Doorbar, Jade
Heusen, Miki Mizutani and Yaoqian Shang Waltz of the Flowers then leads into a classical
ballet finale with its symphonic themes starting with the Waltz of the
Flowers with Arancha Baselga as the Rose Fairy and ending with the
rather lovely grand pas de deux with Morales and Elisha Willis as the
Sugar Plum Fairy, Drosselmayer's transformation of dance student Clarai
nto the ballerina she had always wanted to be. The pair dance beautifully together. Morales is
not entirely convincing as the military leader of his toy soldiers in
his nutcracker role, but once demobbed and back in civvy street he shows
what a fine dancer he is. And the other star of the production is the Royal Ballet Sinfonia under conductor Paul Murphy who, as always, make Tchaikovsky’s glorious music come alive. If you have never seen The Nutcracker you are missing a treat, a treat that has grown into a favourite Christmas tradition, and, if you have never seen a ballet then this is a good one to start for all ages from grandchild to granddad.. There is just nothing quite like live theatre, and this is simply pure theatrical magic, a magic that needs no keyboard or screen, just an imagination. Sumptuous sets, a visual feast, that wonderful
music and delightful dancing from the cast as Clara finds her nutcracker
prince – Christmas has arrived. To 13-11-14 Roger Clarke
28-11-14
Fabulous entertainment ***** HAD Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig
Revel Horwood been in the first night audience of this masterpiece of a
ballet he would surely have rated it ‘fab-u-lous’. Sir Peter Wright’s production has become as much
a part of the build up to Christmas as letters to Santa, yet it manages
to look as fresh, exciting and even breathtaking as ever. New dancers join the cast, of course, but the
dramatic scenery, stunning costumes and Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable
music are unchanged, creating a visual splendour. The world premiere of the production was staged
at the Hippodrome in December 1990, and the fact that it continues to
attract such huge support speaks volumes for its entertaining value. Karla Doorbar gives a superb performance as
15-year-old Clara, a ballet student, who creeps downstairs after a
family Christmas Eve party and witnesses an amazing transformation, with
the Christmas tree expanding to an enormous size and the Rat King
emerging with his fearsome horde from the glowing fireplace to fight the
toy soldiers. The young girl is transported to the Land of
Snow, created by the magician, Drosselmeyer (Jonathan Payn), flies
across stage on a giant goose and dances with the handsome Prince,
superbly played by Joseph Caley. Karla also joins wonderful dancers from other
countries, while Caley and the delightful Momoko Hirata (Sugar Plum
Fairy) are cheered for their remarkable dancing in the second act. Directed by David Bintley, with Paul Murphy
conducting the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, The Nutracker runs to December 13.
It’s a cracker. Paul Marston
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flamboyance,
with a hint of mystery we have come to expect of the magician
Drosselmeyer who produces automatoms Harlequin and Columbine, danced by
Jonathan Gaguioa and Laura-Jane Gibson, from empty boxes and then
releases a Jack-in-the box, danced by Lewis Turner, as part of the party
entertainment before handing out presents to the children, including
Clara’s nutcracker.