JADAR

★★★★★

While most people will be familiar with The Nutcracker ballet, the tale actually originated from ETA Hoffman’s lesser-known dark fantasy The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The ballet first debuted in 1892, not reaching English audiences until 1934. Ever since it has grown in popularity, cementing itself as a Christmas classic with various ballet productions and movie adaptations.

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the score is whimsical, dashing, and celestial, boasting a wide range of world-renowned songs, including the ‘March’, ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’, ‘Dance of the Reed Flutes’, ‘Russian Dance: Trepak’, and ‘Waltz of the Flowers’. It’s my favourite ballet compositions by a long-shot, placing my expectations high despite having never seen it performed.

The ballet follows Clara (Rachael Gillespie), who receives a magical Nutcracker doll from Herr Drosselmeyer (Harry Skoupas) at a Christmas Eve gathering. Dreams and reality collide when Clara discovers the Nutcracker (Harris Beattie) has come to life, battling the evil Mouse King (Bruno Serraclara) before transforming into a prince. They travel through the night, meeting snowflakes, flowers, elements, a Cavalier (Jonathan Hanks), and a Sugar Plum Fairy (Saeka Shirai) who strongly resembles her sister Louise. Is this magical world real?

Charles Cusick Smith’s sets are magical marvels, the first, quaintly decorated curtains with transparent frost-covered windows, snowy trees and lampposts were overlooked by a decadent golden nutcracker carving regally framing the set while an array of gleaming multicolour beams created a magical snowy mirage.

The curtains arise, transporting us inside the mansion, another illustrated curtain and doors veiling a magnificent dining room with dizzyingly high windows casing a fabulously festive Christmas tree centrepiece decorated with tiny gingerbread men, baubles and streams of ribbons. The glamourous set is filled with fancy knick-knacks, gold-accented wooden panelling, and a gorgeous baroque-inspired fireplace. An unfolding castle cut-out and hidden cheese platform are unveiled for the thrilling Mouse King duel before we are whisked away to a snowy forest, confetti snowflakes masking a backdrop of slender trees before a cute reindeer-drawn carriage ride into the clouds, landing in a mystical garden.

David Nixon reworks the traditional sweet kingdom of Act II, replacing them with this garden concept, introducing Clara to the five elements while maintaining the classic flowers waltz and sugar plum fairy routines. The change is fiery, dramatic, and visually stirring with gorgeous routines and costuming adding flair to each intricate performance. However, the change slightly overcomplicates things, reenvisioning a traditional scene, yet perhaps overcomplicating it with a vague “garden” concept (something not reflected within the Oriental toy-box temples and starry sky). Still, I applaud the creative effort.

Nixon’s costuming and choreography are charmingly complimentary, each perfectly captivating Tchaikovsky’s rich delectable scores. The opening ballroom ‘March’ is energetic and wild, introducing us to numerous families and Clara’s swashbuckling toy-maker uncle in his cape-swishing solo.

The nutty Mouse King and his adorable furry minions cracked audiences up with his absurdly humorous twerking and flossing. The militaristic gait of the toy soldiers, galloping horses and wooden nutcracker neatly contrast the elegance of later corps de ballet routines, and the prince’s subsequent snowy pas de deux. There, a soiree of shimmering corsets, silky translucent skirts and dazzling tiaras flitter into frame for ‘The Waltz of the Snowflakes’, spell-binding audiences with their poised, excitable routine.

In the Garden of delights, we’re treated to a magical menagerie of ‘national dances’: Water’s luscious lifts and flowing turquoise fabrics, Fire’s flamboyant fiery waistcoat and showstopping solo, Air’s funky kite-themed suits and their weightless acrobatic fun, and Earth’s fur-collared coats and patterned red fabrics in their bounding high-spirited routine. The toy’s also make a lively reappearance with their pastel pinks and Georgian wigs.

The stand-outs of the evening were the flower ensemble and Sugar Plum Fairy, both performing with awe-inspiring grace, decorated with the most sophisticated Swarovski studded costumes of the evening. The Flowers swept elegantly in their floaty waltz, body parts alternating side to side in an enchanting spectacle while their bobbing scarlet skirts with their stemming orange/green highlights created the illusion of breezy flower-heads.

Meanwhile, the Fairy, in her crimson corset and bejewelled tutu, performed her tinkling celesta routine and virtuosic pas de deux with ease, effusing ethereality alongside her leaping Cavalier.

I especially enjoyed Rachael Gillespie’s performance as Clara, with her enthusiastic smiles, wonder-filled expressions, and serene posture.

Lighting by Alastair West seamlessly transports us to a world of magic.

In a nutshell, Northern Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker is the epitome of elegance, sprinkled with childlike wonder and festive cheer. It’s a cracker of a show, show to delight audiences young and old. The story is fairly light-hearted and dreamy with few major conflicts, and yet it’s teeming with imaginative concepts, jaw-dropping visual displays, and topped off with Tchaikovsky unbeatable musical prowess.

Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker runs at Leeds Grand Theatre until January 4.

Photo: Scott Salt