Recreating a classic story with intimacy
CAPE Town City Ballet’s 2017 production of this perennial Yuletide favourite will be remembered not for any great originality of presentation or staging, but for the birth of new partnerships that augur well for the future: in the wake of Thomas Thorne’s retirement, principal danseuse, Laura Bosenberg is now paired with the dashing Daniel Szybkowski, and the duo of Conrad Nusser and Rosamund Ford is both promising and attractive.
Staging this spectacular ballet in the smaller venue of Artscape Theatre (as opposed to the generously proportioned Opera House) has resulted in a more intimate take on the production – to pleasing effect. Despite the element of visual splendour associated with The Nutcracker’s fantasy, it is after all merely the dream of an over-excited young girl after a Christmas party and, by its nature, is an intimate story.
Dancing to pre-recorded music instead of live orchestral accompaniment tends to promote performer confidence, as there are no surprises or unpredictable tempi.
Bosenberg steals the show as Clara, dancing both the younger and older versions of this persona with the authority of long experience. She manages to inject all the girlishness of an ingénue into the sub-teen Clara, her dainty build adding to the illusion of immature femininity; later, in act two, this characterisation makes way for the sophistication and assurance of the Clara who partners the Nutcracker Prince.
The latter, danced by Szbykowski, projects protective tenderness towards young Clara, then romantic attachment as the fairy-tale evolves. A princely presence is one of Szybkowski’s natural assets and he proves a sympathetic partner to Bosenberg.
The other partnership of note (apart from the collage of dances in act two) is that of Nusser and Ford: they are perfectly matched in terms of physique and the entente between them is excellent. Among the mini-partnerships of the second act, those that stand out are Craig Pedro and Leanè Theunissen (Spanish), for their zesty execution, and the impish duo of Elizabeth Nienaber and Tusile Tenza (Chinese).
Ensemble from the corps is generally up to the mark despite a noisy and inelegant start to the Snowflakes’ entry at the end of act one; Kirstel Jensen and Claire Spector shine as leading Snowflakes and later, in partnership with Bradley van Heerden and Marc Goldberg in that visual feast, Waltz of the Flowers.
This Nutcracker proves, with its blend of the familiar and the innovative, that entertainment need not be new or original to woo an audience.