Scottish Ballet in The Nutcracker
Scottish Ballet just unveiled their new take on The Nutcracker using the choreographic input of many in the company…
James Garrington & Javier Andreu in Sophie Laplane’s Russian dance from ‘The Nutcracker’. © Andy Ross.
Scottish Ballet
The Nutcracker
★★★✰✰
Glasgow, Theatre Royal
6 December 2024
www.scottishballet.co.uk
It’s ten years since Scottish Ballet (SB) unveiled their fine-looking Nutcracker designed by Lez Brotherston. That production was based on Peter Darrell’s original 1972 version, and for this year’s outing of the classic Christmas ballet, it seemed time to revisit the main narrative and choreography to create a thoroughly modern Nutcracker, both in look and tone.
This new Nutcracker is the work of SB Director Christopher Hampson, along with many other contributors (which I will come to), and the variety of artistic approaches to movement really adds a great deal of unexpected vibrancy. The production is also mercifully straightforward, revolving around a posh Victorian family party, the mysterious magician Drosselmeyer, and a young girl (Clara) who experiences surreal dreams of meeting a prince, fighting scary mice, and visiting the lands of snow and sweets. All good in my book: I love tradition and am not so keen on weird, distorted storylines.
In this telling, the only slight fly in the ointment is that the inherited Brotherston designs catered for the Darrell version, which shunned a traditional transformation scene where the tree and room become H-U-G-E as part of entering the dream world. It’s a shame that, with all the production changes, it wasn’t possible to include a jaw-dropping transformation.
Snappily told in under two hours with one interval, the show starts with a prologue, which sets the family scene and party, the beginning of Clara’s dream, and then leads us to the Land of Ice and Snow. We were seeing the premiere, and, perhaps inevitably, there was a mix of highs and rough edges on display. As the run progresses, things will sharpen where needed — most notably in a currently confusing fight scene choreographed by Nicholas Shoesmith. The show also starts rather too cautiously, with only the immediate Stahlbaum family rattling around a huge living room devoid of furniture and even a tree. With so few dancers, it feels an ungenerous and rather threadbare start. However, the space becomes fully animated when the party guests arrive, swirling with lavish gowns, colour and kids. There are some charming children’s dances by Kerry Livingstone (SB’s Head of the Associate Programme).
The standout performance is Grace Horler’s darkly commanding Drosselmeyer — she certainly knows how to work a cape, and Brotherston’s costume design features a glorious flashy blue lining. The Drosselmeyer magic routines are also quite advanced, all going off without a hitch, though I’m sure the presentation’s slickness will evolve a notch or two yet. It’s hard not to love the snowflakes with their elaborate routines and the towering presence of Roseanna Leney’s Snow Queen.
Act 2, set in the Land of Sweets, aka The Realm of the Sugar Plum Fairy, seems to be the beating heart of this production, where everything comes together in a series of notably respectful national divertissements. I particularly enjoyed Javier Andreu’s Spanish affair for two couples, which exuded genuine, unflashy yet uplifting flamenco-inspired authenticity. Andreu, a company soloist, showcased his Spanish background and training with some impressive, grown-up choreography. Principal Jessica Fyfe, who joined last year from Toulouse’s National Ballet du Capitole, drew on that experience to choreograph lyrical yet challenging classical steps for three female artists. However, it was SB’s Resident Choreographer, Sophie Laplane, who delivered a knockout with her Russian dance, brimming with irreverent and fractious buffoonery as if the four dancers had a few too many vodkas just before curtain-up. It was delightfully unexpected and delightfully off-the-wall. Perhaps the most exposed role was danced by Andrea Azzari in Nicholas Shoesmith’s English dance, based on a sailor’s hornpipe. Well performed, this unusual inclusion is a neat hangover from the original Darrell production.
In addition to creating the French divertissement, Jessica Fyfe also took on the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Coached by the sharp-eyed Daria Klimentová it proved a warm and musical performance with the most exquisitely expressive arms to blissfully waft us along. I want to see more of Fyfe. Her Prince, soloist Yuri Marques Da Silva, stepped up a level and proved to be a reliable and steady partner. While it may have been a prudent first-night strategy, I sensed that he was dancing dutifully within his capabilities rather than delivering the excitement of steps pushed closer to the risky max. I must praise young student Ava Morrison as Clara — on stage for much of the performance, she didn’t put a foot wrong and delivered a natural and believable portrayal. Praise also to the orchestra under Martin Yates for their fine rendition of Tchaikovsky’s score. Such a luminous work that encapsulates all that is good about Christmas.
Besides many more performances in Glasgow (through to 30 Dec), SB will be dancing The Nutcracker in Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen and Newcastle, where the tour finishes on 8 February 2025. While I am not sure if I can manage it, I would love to see the Nutcracker again at the other end of its touring and see how its new dance magic has all bedded down and got under the skin of the company.