Scottish Ballet in The Nutcracker

We reviewed the premiere and now at the end of its long tour a second look at Scottish Ballet’s new Nutcracker…

Jessica Fyfe as the Sugar Plum Fairy in ‘The Nutcracker’. © Andy Ross.

Scottish Ballet
The Nutcracker
★★★★✰
Newcastle, Theatre Royal
7 February 2025, matinee
www.scottishballet.co.uk
www.theatreroyal.co.uk

I reviewed the newly choreographed Scottish Ballet Nutcracker at its Glasgow premiere in December and liked much of it… if with some reservations, and gave it 3-stars, which proved rather adrift of where many others were (1,2,3,4). At the time, I mused that it would be good to see the show again at the end of its extensive tour, once everything had bedded down. And so an awayday from London to Newcastle’s comfy Theatre Royal for the Friday matinee.

I’ll keep things short here, so do read the earlier review for more context. It does bear repeating that while the designs are Lez Brotherston’s from ten years ago, the choreography is new and not down to Scottish Ballet’s founder, Peter Darrell, as it mostly was when the Brotherston designs were first unveiled. However, Darrell’s spirit remains present, with all involved, led by artistic director Christopher Hampson, drawing inspiration from the original production.

What I loved about this viewing was how seamlessly the show flowed, particularly in Act 1, which felt splendidly cinematic and engaging. I’m not sure if much has changed, but it’s certainly tightened and my view from the stalls had me engrossed from the start, with none of the initial sparseness I noted last time. The magic is now finely honed and remains a cut above what is attempted in many Nutcrackers - good stuff and congrats to Rimbaud Patron as Drosselmeyer.

The seamless staging transported us into the mouse/King Rat battle and I love the cartoonish portrayal of the soldiers, and then cleverly on to the Land of Ice and Snow, with its elaborate snowflake routines, which went off without a hitch. Aside from a small hiccup, Melissa Polson’s Snow Queen was a gracious and stately presence, if occasionally a little tentative. But I went off for my interval tub of ice cream feeling I’d been on a delightful journey without the usual longueurs.

The national dances, choreographed by various company members, remained a highlight, which I covered in detail in my last review. Dance-wise special praise for James Garrington’s English variation, which was full of fizz, and he only an artist in the company. The four Sugar Plum Fairy Attendants — Yuri Marques, Urtzi Ganzedo, Harvey Evans, and Harvey Littlefield — were also notably and impressively synchronized in all they did. As for the big pas de deux for the Prince and Sugar Plum Fairy? It was both blissful and not. Bruno Micchiardi’s Prince took a gracious and trustworthy line through all the steps and partnering, but for full-on exquisite filigree and snappy classical technique, you need Jessica Fyfe. With glorious phrasing and musicality, Fyfe is the classical bee’s knees and worth seeking out.

Overall, it was a fine show from the company, though it was a shame that the matinee audience was somewhat slow to applaud their efforts at times. I suspect this is partly due to the storytelling’s slickness, as the pauses where applause usually occurs weren’t as apparent. However, by the final curtain, full justice was certainly done. And as for me I returned home feeling 4-star happy and still basking in Fyfe’s 5-star classicism.