Miss Eight, aka Niece in Chair, commended the child performers from the Christmas party, and was disappointed that they had gone home to bed rather than being present for the curtain call. Add the cosy grandeur of Julia Trevelyan Oman’s beautifully realised Biedermeier-era designs, Herr Drosselmeyer’s youngster-enrapturing panoply of magic tricks (many of them borrowed from the later BRB production), a stupendous transformation scene, and the gemütlich night-before-Christmas household bustle that Wright whips up on stage (right up to the little sleepy ones being adoringly ferried upstairs in their guardians’ arms), and you have a show with remarkable cross-generational appeal. Praise too for the boys’ and girls’ corps (especially a ravishing quartet of Leading Flowers), to the young Royal Ballet School students in Act I, and also to the house orchestra under Barry Wordsworth, which made fine work of Tchaikovsky’s sparkling score. Several moments of dancing in complete unison, when even the petals of the skirts floated uniformly, made for a memorable “Waltz.”. Live from Covent Garden review, Royal Opera House: moving, yes, but not a showy gown in sight. LAB retains Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s colorful score, though moving some dances around and deleting others. It’s the perennially performed ballet that defines the holiday experience for many families — and provides a dependable revenue stream for many companies. But even with rules in firm effect, a performance still relies on artistry and luck. In rep until Jan 15. Ballet review: With luck, Los Angeles Ballet gets ‘The Nutcracker’ right Several shining moments make this chestnut one to remember. But at these alternate performances, Conti has taken on the “Arabian” dance, paired with Tigran Sargsyan. Tickets: 020 7304 4000; roh.org.uk. Conti alternates in the role with Oksana Maslova, paired with the reliable Kenta Shimizu as her prince. The Nutcracker plays at Adelaide Festival Centre 8–12 October 2019. They move as if one person, trusting each other in breathtakingly effortless lifts, so we don’t see the work, just the beauty. Her mother (Brittany Cavaco) is sedately pretty, but her father, at least as danced by Eris Nezha, is quite a funny guy. Dance review: The Washington Ballet’s Nutcracker. Featured highlights are numerous, but to name a few: Dana Stephenson is dancing dynamite as the Rose Fairy, maintaining a radiant smile all the way; Jade Wood exudes intriguing, charismatic presence as living dollColumbine; Francois-Eloi Lavignac lights up the stage as the vibrant Magician’s assistant. As the latter, Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov – now one of the finest ballet partnerships in the world – were regality incarnate, both dancing as if the usual terrestrial laws of time and gravity simply did not apply to them. THE NUTCRACKER Ballet Review . There’s one more example of luck and practice. (See what I mean? Lucky us: Conti and Sargsyan are stellar here, in perhaps the best “Arabian” ever seen on Southland stages. In Clara’s winter wonderland, the beautiful stage picture seems filled to infinity with snowy white. Among the holiday season’s many happy tidings is the arrival of The Washington Ballet’s annual production of “The Nutcracker,” staged to beautiful perfection in the gilded loveliness of Warner Theatre. Both were smiling, stately, completely in charge during their show-stopping pas de deux: the grown-ups that Clara and Hans-Peter might one day hope to become. Chynoweth works elegantly with Yamada, and then really takes flight in the grand pas de deux with Kondo. December 3, 2019 by Christopher Henley. True, BRB’s Edwardian-set staging has the edge on spectacle (its Christmas tree and fireplace are worth the ticket-price alone). Despite all this stimulation, and with her favorite doll Marie tucked up with her, Clara falls asleep and — presumably dreaming, but we all have our own theories — is set upon by giant mice (headed by Magnus Christoffersen and his jolly antics). Of the act two divertissements, the slow sensuality of the Arabian Dance stands out, as hypnotically performed by Natasha Kusen (also charming as Clara’s mother), Callum Linnane, Nathan Brook and Brodie James. The Nutcracker plays at State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne until 28 September 2019. Act two sees a riotous collage of symbols hanging overhead, while outsized abstract floral images slowly scroll into place on the rear wall. Then, the curtain lifts on a production as lovely as the Royal Ballet’s, and you instantly a full-on gust of shame at having felt even remotely blasé. The magic will only multiply as the months approach Christmas. At the Staulbaum home, parents and children arrive for a Christmas party. "The Nutcracker" is often performed during the Christmas season due to its content, and many families make it an annual tradition to attend a performance. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. While magician Drosselmeyer’s party tricks may be on the simple side, nothing beats the magical stage transitions, from dark red Edwardian family home to oversized Christmas tree to mystical world of wind and snow. ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  Who was 'horribly wooden'? Best of all, the choreography, by Wright, Lev Ivanov and Vincent Redman, provides a company-wide showcase, with a multitude of featured roles and small ensembles. Dany Margolies is a Los Angeles-based writer. As A Christmas Carol is to the theatre, so is The Nutcracker to the dance. As Drosselmeyer (the lead character and chief motor of this production), he hustled the story forward with elegance, authority and flamboyance, conjured with the brio of the late Paul Daniels, and made the central narrative thread really rather stirring. Photo by the Washington Ballet’s official Facebook page. Or, rather, just Wright. Crisp storytelling serves to highlight the expressive nature of Tchaikovsky’s score, heard in excellent form at this performance. Los Angeles Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” hews to this ballet’s cherished traditions, mostly. Young Clara Staulbaum (Cleo Taneja) dreams of being a ballerina. Why do other countries value culture so much more than Britain? It is an incredibly difficult thing to create something that is both classic and unique, but that is exactly what the Washington Ballet has done with their annual version of the iconic holiday ballet “The Nutcracker.” Instead, he gets them involved in every one, which is so much more fun, and also gives the duo a far greater chance to shine. Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker," the story of a young girl's journey to a magical land on Christmas Eve, is perhaps not only the composer's most famous work but also one of the most famous ballets of all time. Cherished on every ballet world stage, The Nutcracker can be enjoyed at any time of year, especially as presented in The Australian Ballet’s decadently sumptuous production. Jon Buswell’s lighting design (based on David Finn’s original design) is a key aspect of the visual wizardry, with moments of dark as important as light. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Uncle Drosselmeyer (Zheng Hua Li) shows up, bearing life-size dolls that dance: Harlequin and Columbine (Akimitsu Yahata, Irina Gharibyan), a Cossack (Jeongkon Kim), and a Nutcracker (Joshua Schwartz) who fascinates Clara.