In the stunning surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, a visit to see the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker is just the ticket for Christmas.
Previous festive ballet productions have been in the round, but this one stays put on the stage, which allows for various projections (by 59 Ptoductions) and technical effects to enhance the show.
The basic storyline is a simple one. Clara, a young girl at Christmas, receives a nutcracker doll from a craftsman called Drosselmeyer. As the clock strikes twelve, a dream – or a fantasy – begins, as the nutcracker comes to life, and whisks Clara off the world of snow, sugar plums, flowers, and various national dancers.
It’s a visual feast from start to finish, with enough going on both on the stage and within the video segments to keep an audience of any age enthralled. A bird soars, flowers bloom, leaves fall.
As the setting changes from the realism of a Christmas Eve dominated by a tree, toys and dancing, to a magical fairyland of dancing snowflakes, a burst of colour emits from the clock-face above the orchestra and creeps up rising screens at each side,
Lights from the gallery and baubles descending from above offer an exciting and inventive use of the space in the Hall, while Tchaikovsky’s marvellous score is played beautifully by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Paul Murphy.
Clara’s emerging engagement with love (with the Prince, Yasiel Hodelín Bello) and wonder (with the world) is explored beautifully by the vivacious Sofia Liñares. The toymaker (danced by Max Maslen and voiced by Simon Callow) offers a high-spirited introduction to proceedings.
It’s the ensemble pieces The Nutcracker is most celebrated for, and neither the choreography (Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon) nor the costumes (John Macfarlane) disappoint. They are enchanting, showcasing both the breadth and depth of the company, including the children who shine in both acts.
Being a festive production, act one ends with the sight of snow tumbling into the arena, while Clara’s last moment with the nutcracker offers a touching ending to act two. I also enjoyed the automatons in act one, which are beautifully brought to life.
This production of The Nutcracker has humour, flair, magic (little flourishes will delight younger audience members), and an exuberance that will leave you with a warm glow.
I saw the 2pm performance on 29 Dec, and the cast mentions above reflect this. You can check the cast for all performances here.
****
The Nutcracker by Birmingham Royal Ballet continues at the Royal Albert Hall until 31 Dec. Tickets are scarce but check here for further details.