How many Nutcrackers can one city need?
London has an embarrassment of riches this year as The BRB’s inventive take on the classic pitches up in the grandest tent of all.
The Royal Albert Hall is a glorious venue but it is a huge echoing cavern, quite a challenge for any show without the advantage of sets and the curving seating pattern preventing any sight-blocking scenery on either side.
On its debut of this new variation, this reworking of the BRB’s annual home production rises to the challenge in a production that is impressive if not perfectly en pointe.
It’s worth seeing for the magical moment it snows in front of the awe-struck audience alone.
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This is a show almost as famous for the tunes as the toe-twinking delights and the fine orchestra played the famous score with brio and clarity, making those overly familiar numbers from countles adverts fresh and spine-tingling. Elevated on a balcony above the stage, with the Hall’s glorious organ towering over it, the orchestra becomes a feature of the staging adding real grandeur.
Two huge screens either side of the organ rise up during the transformation scene. The projections are from the award-winning 59 Productions, who worked on the hit stage show An American in Paris as well as London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. The tree may not grow but huge baubles descend fron the ceiling and huge projections shimmer actoss the entitre backdrop. It’s a moment more Cirque de Soleil than classic ballet, but tremendously effective.
Indeed, it is best to view this not as a traditional ballet but rather as a grand entertainment.
There was much to enjoy from the company itself, sharp and effective throughout with Tzu Chao Cho outstanding as the acrobatic Jack-In-The-Box.
The addition of male dancers as The Winds in the iconic snowflakes scene adds drama and dazzling dynamism. The costumes here and in the sumptuously danced Waltz of the lowers are particularly stunning.
Momoko Hirata steals the show as an exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy and Karla Doorbar is fresh and joyous as Clara, bringing light and grace to every step.
Given the absence of major sets, it’s a shame that Jonathan Payne makes so little impression as Drosselmeyer. His character should be powerful and mysterious, driving the show and the plot. In such a large space on an unadorned stage he needs to sweep the audience along with Clara into a world of magic, but Payne was more like a kindly uncle, lacking mpact.
Similarly, I struggled to connect with the Nutcracker’s story. Once he is human and has taken Clara to the Land of Snow, he is mainly AWOL until he returns to dance the grand pas de deux with the Sugar Plaum Fairy.
This narrative choice removes the budding romance with Clara and fudges the underlying core story that he needs to be rescued. Cesar Morales is solid in the role but also lacked charisma. With no emotionally cathartic and redemptive resolution to Clara and Drosselmeyer’s stories at the end, the show somewhat fades out rather than leaving an overwhelming glow.
This is a show with grand and innovative set pieces and some wonderful dancing. With some minor tweaks it could be a thrilling alternative to rival the best that London has to offer.
The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall full information:
Until Sunday 31 December. Tickets: £35-£85
For bookings and more information: www.royalalberthall.com or call 020 7589 8212