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English National BalletThe Nutcracker December 1997, Coliseum by Richard Davis | |||||||
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"'Tis the season to be jolly" may be the sentiment vocalised in the time honoured Christmas carol but, for the balletomane, the festive period heralds the prospect of yet another round of Nutcrackers. So it was with some measure of disquiet that I purchased tickets for ENB's new production, comforted somewhat by the prospect of seeing Roberto Bolle partner Susan Jaffe (guesting from La Scala and ABT respectively) and by the expectations of a new Derek Deane staging thrust into the modern age.
It turned out to be a choice well made. The production was refreshingly entertaining - although the promised pairing never materialised as a result of last minute cast changes. The ballet opened up with the family Christmas gathering, the guests stylishly dressed in black tie and cocktail dresses, gliding around the stage in a cross between AMP and Come Dancing. The various dream sequences followed, displaying Sue Blane's innovative stage designs, moving through The Land of Snow to The Kingdom of the Sweets, replete with licorice allsorts, gobstoppers, sticks of rock and all other manner of candified comestibles. The Act II ethnic dances culminated in a classical pas de deux and variations for the Prince and Sugar Plum Fairy, which looked a little out of place against Deane's reworked choreography earlier in the ballet. If the end of Act II verged on the orthodox, Act I was more a case of the Matthew Bourne again! One of the most captivating scenes of the performance was The Land of the Snow. It was like a life-size version of one of the those semi-spherical glass snow scene ornaments which you shake hard and where the snowflakes drift down onto the landscape below. The Nutcracker Prince dances a magical pas de deux with Clara (danced exquisitely by Tamara Rojo with a perfect blend of artistry, delicacy and youthful abandon), followed by the entry of the Snowflakes who sweep across the stage in rolling and criss-crossing movements in a convincing evocation of snow drifting down from the heavens. The scene ends with the Prince, Clara and Drosselmeyer ascending into the skies in their trishaw as the curtain falls. Throughout the ballet Deane explores the ambivalence in the relationship between Drosselmeyer and Clara, hinting at an affection that goes beyond godfatherly love. During the snow scene, Drosselmeyer is almost in competition with the Prince as they both dance the same steps in unison at either side of the stage as if in a duelling match for Clara's affections. Drosselmeyer even completes the Prince's pas de deux with Clara, unbeknown to his starry eyed goddaughter. In the two performances that I saw, both Laurentiu Guineau and Greg Horsman portrayed Drosselmeyer's with the right combination of eccentric magician and friendly 'uncle', although Laurentiu examined the darker side of his character to a greater degree. Roberto Bolle was the archetypal Prince in looks, style, manners and technique - and found the affections of the audience as well as Clara. Greg Horsman, in the second performance, only lacked Roberto's charisma. Lucia Lacarra danced a wonderful Sugar Plum Fairy, but excelled as a lean and long-legged Ice Queen. Susan Jaffe's Ice Queen was disappointing and undistinguished compared to some her enchanting performances as principal of American Ballet Theatre. I would love to have seen her as Sugar Plum Fairy which, on that night, was danced by a technically spot-on Lisa Pavane. Overall, a splendid and innovative new production which would appeal as much to adults as to the kids. | ||||||||
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