Festive classic still casts its spell
With its glittering set, fairy-tale transformations and stage wizardry, The Nutcracker is perfect for bringing the magic of the festive season to the stage – small wonder that this tale has become a staple of ballet repertories the world over. The Royal Ballet has stayed loyal to Peter Wright’s production since 1984, and by combining tradition with innovation and dancing as clean and sharp as falling snowflakes, this gloriously colourful staging remains one of the best. A nice touch, then, that this season’s first performance was screened live in cinemas nationwide.
Magic is in the air as the audience are invited into the Stahlbaums’ drawing room, where festivities are in full flow. Presents are dispensed by the children of the Royal Ballet School as all generations gather in their bonnets and nightcaps – the perfect picture of a traditional 19th-century family party, but one to which we’re all invited.
Wright has tweaked his production over the intervening years, and the Kingdom of Sweets divertissements in Act II reinforce the sense that we are seeing a story through the eyes of a young girl. His involvement of our heroine Clara and her beau Hans-peter in those sections streamlines the narrative between the formerly disconnected two acts. These two are charming characters, and Wright has sharpened them well. Alexander Campbell, in particular, displays a natural stage presence, especially so when he cheekily mimes the whole plot of Act I in less than a minute.
While Sarah Lamb dazzles with her technical assurance as the Sugar Plum Fairy, it is Francesca Hayward as young Clara who emerges as the star. She is a gorgeous dancer – the flow and lyrical phrasing of her upper body, all fluttery movements and trailing arms, highlights her dramatic intelligence and allows the choreography to ring out in clear tones. Her movements are small, precise yet packed with energy, allowing her to layer the necessary nuances of girlish giddiness.
The grand pas de deux danced by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince follows a slow, classical structure. It’s stately, elegant and secure. And quite right, too, as the story isn’t the focus here – it’s the dancers who are front and centre. Lamb, poised on pointe, is an impeccable technician if somewhat upstaged by Hayward in terms of conveying emotion. Steven Mcrae, meanwhile, proves the perfect partner and matches Lamb with his dynamic solo jumps and turns.
However, where Wright’s version triumphs especially is with magician Drosselmeyer, making him the key figure as he attempts to use Clara to free his nephew, the soldier Hans-peter, from a curse that’s transformed him into a nutcracker. Delivering magic tricks with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it precision, Gary Avis is endearing. The sense of wonder as he conjures up the huge Christmas in the transformation scene is key to a Nutcracker that still casts a powerful spell.
Until Jan 10. Tickets: 020 7304 4000; roh.org.uk