Dance
The Nutcracker (English National Ballet, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton)
Christmas surprise
Giannandrea Poesio
Ihave loathed The Nutcracker since I was cast as a six-foot-two 'male daisy' in Act II's `Waltz of the Flowers' — the costume alone was enough to put one off ballet for a lifetime. As a viewer, moreover, I have never shared the general enthusiasm for the dramatically stilted scenario, the inevitable Christmas tackiness of most pro- ductions and those hordes of tamed chil- dren — grotesque as only children monkeying professional dancers can be or of even more freakish adults pretending to be kids. It is not surprising, therefore, that I have always enjoyed more unconven- tional stagings, such as Derek Deane's new one for English National Ballet. His new Nutcracker, though, is not one of those fash- ionable radical revisions that engage the viewer in a mentally exhausting and often totally gratuitous 'spot-the-metaphor' game.
In this new version of the 1892 ballet, the contemporary reading does not detract from the conventional text, nor does it result in a dramatically unorthodox alter- ation of the existing choreography. Deane's approach renders the work more accessible and immediate to contemporary audiences while preserving the essence of the ballet. The various references to contemporary culture, and in particular to certain popular `icons', establish a parallel between the old story and today's myths, thus making us realise that, while the physiognomy of the fantasy characters might have changed, fairy tales are still much in demand.
This is particularly evident in two differ- ent moments of the production. The three purely ornamental mechanical puppets with which Drosselmeyer, the heroine's godfa- ther, entertains the children at the Christ- mas party are replaced with 'magic' figures from today, namely Robocop, Michael Jackson and one of those ambiguous balle- rina dolls. Similarly, at the beginning of Act II, Clara, the Prince and Drosselmeyer fly towards the Kingdom of the Sweets on a tricycle against a shining full moon as in the famous sequence from ET. Indeed, in this production Drosselmeyer shares many char- acteristics with the friendly little alien and can also be seen as one of those invisible friends that kids create in order to escape from a hostile environment — in Deane's version, Clara's family is anything but a happy one. In addition, it is Drosselmeyer's continuous presence on stage which enhances the dramatic consistency of the work. Deane's Nutcracker thus stands out for the fluidity of the narrative, a character- istic that is seldom found in other produc- tions, as well as for the utterly enjoyable combination of theatre magic and almost `realistic' representation of the everyday that underscores the entire production.
The posh Christmas party in Act I is not informed by that pseudo 19th-century Ger- man iconography, and is a real party, per- meated with that mixture of boredom and personal tension that is found in similar gatherings. Clara is not the usual spoilt brat but quite a mature girl conscious of her family problems — her father fools around with one of the guests, probably his mis- tress, much to his wife's despair. The chil- dren are typical party children, prancing around as kids normally do on such occa- sions. Similarly, in Act Two, Deane's Con- fituremburg — as the Land of Sweets is called in the original libretto — is not that anachronistic far-off land but a celebration of contemporary sweets in the form of a shocking pink, marshmallowish ballroom with liquorice banisters (the only missing things are beams made with Mars Bars!) that relates immediately to the viewers and the younger ones in particular.
Yet, despite such bemusing exaggeration. the sets and the costumes — by Sue Blane — never cross the threshold of bad taste and confer a unique stylish quality on to the entire production. The success of the evening must also be ascribed to the high quality of the dancing. The company looks marvellous and each of the soloists stands out for both technical and artistic qualities. Greg Horsman is a brilliant Drosselmeyer and Tamara Rojo is arguably one of the most credible Claras I have ever seen. I am confident that, once at the London Colise- um, this Nutcracker will be the hit of the Christmas season, for it is a truly unexpect- ed, bewitching Christmas present.
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