Like The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, The Nutcracker tells the story of a child and her dreams. Wayne Eagling’s choreography and Peter Farmer’s designs provide a strong sense of the family home which frames the action – its exterior, inside for the Christmas party and the intimacy of Clara’s bedroom where the child falls asleep and begins to dream before we waltz off to all those famous set pieces.
Shiori Kase is delightful as the adult Clara who becomes the lead dancer in the dream sequence. Her duet with Guilherne Menezes (also excellent) is both spectacular and elegant – and, of course, accompanied by, arguably, the best music in the piece with – that stupendous timpani roll at the climax, impeccably played here.
The children (from Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and English National Ballet School) do well too especially in the formation dances at the party in act 1. And they form a choir in a side balcony for the continuo section in the big Act 1 waltz. Of all the children Noam Durand as Clara’s naughty little brother, Freddie, is the most engaging.
Junor Souza is an imposing mysterious, magic-weaving Drosselmeyer, dancing with Clara – sometimes in a trio with the Nutcracker Prince. However, the whole point of Act 2 is that it’s all a glorious treat for Clara. If she’s off stage – as in this production – then you would be forgiven for wondering why Drosselmeyer suddenly morphs into a faintly menacing impresario. But it’s a minor grumble in a production which is full of colour – both visual and aural – and warmth and imaginative ideas.
However well you know it, and however popular it is, Tchikovsky’s Nutcracker score is – well – a cracker and it’s in very capable hands with Gavin Sutherland and English National Ballet Philharmonic in this production which dates from 2010.
Sutherland takes most of the dances in Act 2 at a gentler tempo than many conductors which means that every little bit of orchestral detail is allowed to shine through in all their glory. The rising scales at the beginning of Act 2, for example, pack real drama and the trumpet in the Spanish dance beams out. And he makes sure that we are all very conscious of the musical chemistry between the celesta and bass clarinet during The Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy
Review by Susan Elkin