The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker, December 2018 - January 2019

[Ivy Lin]

Guys I saw the cinema relay. I usually treasure Royal Ballet cinema relays but I could find almost nothing positive to say about Sir Peter Wright's production, especially the way it's evolved since his first stab at the ballet so many years ago.

I understand the need to give dancers opportunities as Clara and the Prince but their constant intrusion into both the Snow Scene and the divertissements was annoying. I like to think of the Snow Scene and the divertissements as stand-alones and opportunities for the corps and lower-ranked soloists of the company to shine. 

And as someone who's watched the party scene evolve over the years, the Stahlbaum Christmas party has turned from a charming house party with a magician into something maybe only Buckingham Palace can afford? It seems like every year the costumes for the party become more lavish. 

As for the Cavalier and Sugarplum Fairy those powdered wigs have got to go! They made Vadim look like Joffrey from Game of Thrones and did the impossible which was make Marianela Nunez look distant and starchy. The warmest, most radiant dancer is swallowed by that huge powdered wig. 

The dancing was excellent on all levels however.

[JennyTaylor]

On ‎22‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 22:24, Balletfanp said:

 

I certainly did! A very special performance where everyone shone. So many children there enthralled by it - not a peep out of any of them, but then it is like walking into a fairytale. I found myself filling up on a few occasions - the combination of the music, the wonderful dancing and the sparkling sets. On the way back to Plymouth now feeling shattered, but buoyed up by this afternoon’s performance!

I took a 6 and 4 year old (my step grandchildren)  It was the 4 year old's first ever ballet and we were worried she was too young, but no, she behaved perfectly, as did her sister.  We did do a lot of prep beforehand explaining the story, the tree, the Sugar Plum fairy, Clara, Gary Avis's cloak and glitter etc etc. and they had taken it all in. The only wriggling in the seat was done because 4 year old wanted to see absolutely EVERYTHING on the stage. It was a totally magical experience. I cried 3 times through the sheer beauty and emotion - couldn't believe it...…..and this was a ballet I gave up on for some years because  I thought it was boring. 

 

As an aside, this ballet has a lot of very well known music, but my favourites are the tree transformation scene and the pdd between Clara and Hans- Peter. I've downloaded on my phone and have been playing ever since.

 

The dancing was sublime by all concerned. What better Christmas present could one have. .  

 

 

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, Ivy Lin said:

Guys I saw the cinema relay. I usually treasure Royal Ballet cinema relays but I could find almost nothing positive to say about Sir Peter Wright's production, especially the way it's evolved since his first stab at the ballet so many years ago.

 

It's often said that most people's favourite - even ideal - Nutcracker is generally the one they grew up with, even if the "growing up" was as an adult discovering ballet, and I've read very little from Nutcracker watchers to disprove that argument! For seasoned RB watchers, SPW's changes have indeed been a steady evolution, so are accepted and even forgotten; you could even say that the production has grown up with them.

 

I used to agree about Clara imposing herself on the 2nd act dances, but I think I've come round to it. As for the SPF costumes: I know what you mean, but IMO you can almost taste the sugar when you watch them dance in the theatre, which must have been the effect Julia Trevelyan Oman was aiming for. They work for me, anyway!

Edited December 26, 2018 by Lizbie1
added qualifier "generally" :)

[Balletfanp]

Having seen both the cinema relay (several years running) and live performances, I have to say that the SPF and the Prince costumes come over so much better on the live stage - they sparkle and really add to the magic. I would prefer a more natural look with a bit of sparkle, but one can see the point when one sees them “in the flesh,” so to speak.

[JennyTaylor]

12 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

It's often said that most people's favourite - even ideal - Nutcracker is the one they grew up with, even if the "growing up" was as an adult discovering ballet, and I've read very little from Nutcracker watchers to disprove that argument! For seasoned RB watchers, SPW's changes have indeed been a steady evolution, so are accepted and even forgotten; you could even say that the production has grown up with them.

 

I used to agree about Clara imposing herself on the 2nd act dances, but I think I've come round to it. As for the SPF costumes: I know what you mean, but IMO you can almost taste the sugar when you watch them dance in the theatre, which must have been the effect Julia Trevelyan Oman was aiming for. They work for me, anyway!

I like Clara and Hans-Peter being included in the speciality dances. I was brought up on version where Clara was a girl from the ballet school whose only purpose was to watch the other dancers in Act 2. Now, it is a major role for a ballerina and provides great opportunities for these dancers to shine

[alison]

3 hours ago, JennyTaylor said:

As an aside, this ballet has a lot of very well known music, but my favourites are the tree transformation scene and the pdd between Clara and Hans- Peter. I've downloaded on my phone and have been playing ever since.

 

I've always said that the best music is in Act I: I'm always disappointed if a concert performance just sticks to the Suite, well-known as it is.

[capybara]

11 hours ago, JennyTaylor said:

 

but my favourites are the tree transformation scene and the pdd between Clara and Hans- Peter. I've downloaded on my phone and have been playing ever since.

 

The dancing was sublime by all concerned. What better Christmas present could one have. .  

 

 

 

 

Agree about the music for the Clara/Nutcracker pas de deux in Act 1. From my very first Nutcracker, my father always used to whisper,"the good bit's coming up now". 

[Sim]

10 minutes ago, capybara said:

 

 

Agree about the music for the Clara/Nutcracker pas de deux in Act 1. From my very first Nutcracker, my father always used to whisper,"the good bit's coming up now". 

This music chokes me up every time I hear it.  That and the SPF pdd music. 

[Fiz]

The grand pas absolutely chokes me up and usually I well up. I read somewhere it’s all to do with the unusual cello progression but who really knows!

[Fonty]

That is such a poignant bit of music.  Sometimes I think it is inappropriate for a pdd being danced by a sugar plum fairy and her prince in a cheery Christmas ballet, and instead should be incorporated into a piece featuring a pair of doomed lovers. 

 

  

[Mary]

Absolutely- it would be ideal for that new  dance in Swan Lake we were just talking about..!

🙂

[Douglas Allen]

Ivy Lin, I couldn't agree more. I "liked" your post, and, if the rules allowed it, I would have done so several times. I dislike this production intensely - such a waste of magnificent music and very talented dancers! It comes around , seemingly without fail,every year about now, and every year there are a few more tweaks to the production or choreography, and it remains a total waste of time and effort.

[Sim]

I totally disagree.  I think it's a lovely production.  I have been watching Nutcrackers in various parts of the world for more than 50 years, and I have never yet seen a perfect one.  I always find the first 3/4 of the first act quite boring, no matter whose version I am seeing.  Yes,  that includes BRB's and ENB's (all of them).  The music dictates what is happening onstage, and there isn't too much more you can do with it than watch a family Christmas Eve party.  There is a bit of entertainment for the children, some dancing and drinking for the adults...this happens in many homes at Christmas so this conveying of Christmas Eve is not so unusual. And yes Ivy Lin, there were and are very rich people with very big houses. This house looks very big because it's on a very big stage, and needs room for a very big Christmas tree and very big props during the dream sequence.  And don't forget, this isn't realism ballet, it's simply a magical story.  

 

I can't see how the RB version 'is a waste of talented dancers.'  What more would you have them do?  Where there is music to dance, there are dancers dancing.  I first saw Clara participating in the divertissements in SPW's BRB version.  I really disliked it, and I am not a big fan now, but as Lizbie says it gives a young ballerina the chance to dance a lot on stage and gain some valuable classical experience.  I do agree that the wigs have to go, but I love the costumes.  And I welcome the tweaks.  If there weren't any tweaks to production and choreography, I am sure some people would be moaning about the production saying it's stale because it never changes.  

 

Anyway, interesting to read all the different viewpoints (and this is one of the few instances where all the critics gave it 4-5 stars when it opened earlier this month).

[capybara]

I'm not a huge Nutcracker fan but there is no obligation on anyone to watch it and the RB's production, along with others, gives generations of children (and others) a lot of seasonal pleasure. It feels somewhat Scrooge-like to knock that.

[RobR]

And it also gives all the White Lodge children a wonderful opportunity to join the company and put into practice all the hard work they do in attempting to become ballet dancers. 

I’m pretty certain that all the former White Lodgers, whether or not still with the RB, have fond memories of debuting as a soldier or mouse. 

[Ivy Lin]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

I totally disagree.  I think it's a lovely production.  I have been watching Nutcrackers in various parts of the world for more than 50 years, and I have never yet seen a perfect one.  I always find the first 3/4 of the first act quite boring, no matter whose version I am seeing.  Yes,  that includes BRB's and ENB's (all of them).  The music dictates what is happening onstage, and there isn't too much more you can do with it than watch a family Christmas Eve party.  There is a bit of entertainment for the children, some dancing and drinking for the adults...this happens in many homes at Christmas so this conveying of Christmas Eve is not so unusual. And yes Ivy Lin, there were and are very rich people with very big houses. This house looks very big because it's on a very big stage, and needs room for a very big Christmas tree and very big props during the dream sequence.  And don't forget, this isn't realism ballet, it's simply a magical story.  

 

I can't see how the RB version 'is a waste of talented dancers.'  What more would you have them do?  Where there is music to dance, there are dancers dancing.  I first saw Clara participating in the divertissements in SPW's BRB version.  I really disliked it, and I am not a big fan now, but as Lizbie says it gives a young ballerina the chance to dance a lot on stage and gain some valuable classical experience.  I do agree that the wigs have to go, but I love the costumes.  And I welcome the tweaks.  If there weren't any tweaks to production and choreography, I am sure some people would be moaning about the production saying it's stale because it never changes.  

 

Anyway, interesting to read all the different viewpoints (and this is one of the few instances where all the critics gave it 4-5 stars when it opened earlier this month).

 

My favorite Nutcrackers are George Balanchine's version which really gives very young ballet students a chance to shine, and has a much more intimate Christmas party. I also enjoyed Alexei Ratmansky's version, and Mark Morris's The Hard Nut. Also enjoyed on video the Kent Stowell production.

 

I just find that every year Peter Wright's version gets stuffier. I adored the Collier/Dowell video as well as the version he made for BRB so many years ago. But that video now seems quaint in its simplicity and charm and I think the RB production is overstuffed. Sometimes you get subtraction from addition.

Edited December 27, 2018 by Ivy Lin

[SeokDoesPilates]

Compliments of the Season to one and all from Singapore. Thank you for sharing your views and reviews here, I am lapping it all up as this is the closest I'll get to "watching" the RB's Nutcracker. What little of it I've watched on YouTube looks lovely (Ms Nunez and Mr Muntagirov do make it all look so effortless) and since I am a huge fan of the RB, I'll take what I can get, be it excessive children on stage, Clara and HP dancing with the Snowflakes etc! Best wishes to everyone for the new year. 

[Sim]

Thank you Seok, and welcome to the forum!  I'm glad you are enjoying the posts and the YouTube clips.  If you can watch the whole production (there are DVDs available),  we would be very glad to know what you think.  Best seasonal wishes to you too!

[Sim]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

 gives generations of children (and others) a lot of seasonal pleasure.

And in many cases, a lifelong love and passion for ballet.  My first Nut was the Balanchine version at NYCB, and that is what I saw throughout my childhood.  It hooked me onto an artform that has given me so much pleasure for more than 50 years.  I know that the magic of this RB version has done the same for two generations of children, including my own daughter.  

[Lizbie1]

I think that all of Ivy Lin's criticisms are valid and legitimate; though as Sim says there's no such thing as a perfect Nutcracker, and I don't think think it's fruitful to be overly critical about any one version of a ballet which is on several layers an exercise in nostalgia, it's important to be reminded sometimes of different views.

 

As an illustration: though many North Americans naturally see the Balanchine version as the ne plus ultra of Nutcrackers, not having been brought up on it I don't find his SPF pdd an improvement on the "mostly Petipa" RB version, and though it's been a while since I saw it as a whole, I mostly remember wondering what all the fuss was about - but then I've never seen it live in the theatre. Now, I don't expect a New Yorker to care a fig for my opinion on the matter; however I think it's useful for a group to hear a different perspective, particularly when it's so well articulated as Ivy Lin's, or they start accepting it as settled fact that the Balanchine/RB/BRB version is the best one going.

 

Having said that, I do agree that the Bolshoi one is rubbish (and I like Grigorovich better than most here!).

[Douglas Allen]

Sim,

 

I have considerable respect for you and your views on ballet performances, but if you have been watching Nutcracker productions for 50 years, then you will have seen one or more of the Nureyev productions, for the Swedes, the Royal or Paris. This surely disproves the statement "the music dictates what is happening onstage and there isn't too much more you can do with it than watch a family Christmas Eve party". In all of the Nureyev productions you encounter Clara as a child on the threshold of adolescence becoming infatuated with the idea of falling in love with a fantasy figure and escaping the confines of familiar family life and the restrictions of its (luxurious) confines and restraints. This is contrasted with the dances presented in a social context which are the epitome of conservative norms of the time  as represented by the minuets and gavottes so typical of the pre-romantic era. Remembering  the Royal Ballet's production , Alexander Grant presented a master class in his performance  as the grandfather in his dancing almost as a Vestris figure. Both he and Gerd Larsen, together with other senior members of the Royal Ballet at that time in Act I presented a series of images which called to mind several of the lithographs in the Rambert-Dukes collection  (now in the V&A) and other dances as can be seen in the writings of Marian Hannah Winter and in the Beaumont/Sitwell book on the Romantic Ballet Lithographs. It was a brilliant example of how ballet can inform, educate and elevate the sensibilities of the audience whilst at the same time provide wonderful entertainment. It was not just "a magical story".

[Lizbie1]

8 minutes ago, Douglas Allen said:

Sim,

 

I have considerable respect for you and your views on ballet performances, but if you have been watching Nutcracker productions for 50 years, then you will have seen one or more of the Nureyev productions, for the Swedes, the Royal or Paris. This surely disproves the statement "the music dictates what is happening onstage and there isn't too much more you can do with it than watch a family Christmas Eve party". In all of the Nureyev productions you encounter Clara as a child on the threshold of adolescence becoming infatuated with the idea of falling in love with a fantasy figure and escaping the confines of familiar family life and the restrictions of its (luxurious) confines and restraints. This is contrasted with the dances presented in a social context which are the epitome of conservative norms of the time  as represented by the minuets and gavottes so typical of the pre-romantic era. Remembering  the Royal Ballet's production , Alexander Grant presented a master class in his performance  as the grandfather in his dancing almost as a Vestris figure. Both he and Gerd Larsen, together with other senior members of the Royal Ballet at that time in Act I presented a series of images which called to mind several of the lithographs in the Rambert-Dukes collection  (now in the V&A) and other dances as can be seen in the writings of Marian Hannah Winter and in the Beaumont/Sitwell book on the Romantic Ballet Lithographs. It was a brilliant example of how ballet can inform, educate and elevate the sensibilities of the audience whilst at the same time provide wonderful entertainment. It was not just "a magical story".

 

Without wanting to be facetious, from this description I wonder whether how much there was in this version for ordinary children to respond to and enjoy. I don't think a Nutcracker can be counted as successful if it only really appeals to adults.

 

I should clarify that I've only ever seen the Grand pdd (which to be honest I find incoherent and at times very ugly), so am open to correction.

[alison]

21 minutes ago, Douglas Allen said:

Sim,

 

I have considerable respect for you and your views on ballet performances, but if you have been watching Nutcracker productions for 50 years, then you will have seen one or more of the Nureyev productions, for the Swedes, the Royal or Paris.

 

 

From what I know of Sim's background, I'm not sure that necessarily follows, but I guess she can confirm or deny that herself.

[Jan McNulty]

I've started a thread for favourite Nutcracker productions so that we can try and not detract from discussion of performance in the current RB run:

 

 

[bridiem]

 

2 hours ago, Douglas Allen said:

Sim,

 

I have considerable respect for you and your views on ballet performances, but if you have been watching Nutcracker productions for 50 years, then you will have seen one or more of the Nureyev productions, for the Swedes, the Royal or Paris. This surely disproves the statement "the music dictates what is happening onstage and there isn't too much more you can do with it than watch a family Christmas Eve party". In all of the Nureyev productions you encounter Clara as a child on the threshold of adolescence becoming infatuated with the idea of falling in love with a fantasy figure and escaping the confines of familiar family life and the restrictions of its (luxurious) confines and restraints. This is contrasted with the dances presented in a social context which are the epitome of conservative norms of the time  as represented by the minuets and gavottes so typical of the pre-romantic era. Remembering  the Royal Ballet's production , Alexander Grant presented a master class in his performance  as the grandfather in his dancing almost as a Vestris figure. Both he and Gerd Larsen, together with other senior members of the Royal Ballet at that time in Act I presented a series of images which called to mind several of the lithographs in the Rambert-Dukes collection  (now in the V&A) and other dances as can be seen in the writings of Marian Hannah Winter and in the Beaumont/Sitwell book on the Romantic Ballet Lithographs. It was a brilliant example of how ballet can inform, educate and elevate the sensibilities of the audience whilst at the same time provide wonderful entertainment. It was not just "a magical story".

 

I would prefer Clara not to be 'infatuated' with anything; she's a young girl who goes through experiences that will transform her. That's where the magic is, and in the music.

[aliceinwoolfland]

Did anyone see Ashley Dean debut as Clara today? Any thoughts? 

[Balletfanp]

Ditto aliceinwoolfland. Also did anyone see Benjamin Ella’s debut as the Prince?

[RuthE]

It was yesterday, not today, and yes I did. I thought she was lovely. She clearly had lots of family and friends in the house and got an excellent reception.

 

As for Ella... well, I can’t say the Sugar Plum Prince is really a role I *notice*, sadly. Not his fault that that’s the case!

 

Was it Yudes’s debut too as Hans-Peter? I thought he was terrific, though really a bit short for Dean.

[alison]

Yes, relative heights were a bit of a problem: Yuhui Choe, on pointe, was also somewhat taller than Ella, which I don't find ideal in Classical works.  She was lovely, though, as was Dean, whose youth and freshness I really appreciated..

[RuthE]

Ashley Dean has been catching my eye in the corps for a while because of that “freshness” and the soft serenity of her facial expression which reminds me a lot of Claire Calvert.

[Rob S]

 

I chose this performance primarily to see Yuhui but was very pleased to see Ashley Dean as Clara as she's been catching my eye in the corps too. Strictly speaking her Clara debut was the earlier Paul Hamlyn performance but I thought she was great 😊

[annekh510]

3 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

I chose this performance primarily to see Yuhui but was very pleased to see Ashley Dean as Clara as she's been catching my eye in the corps too. Strictly speaking her Clara debut was the earlier Paul Hamlyn performance but I thought she was great 😊

 

I was at the Paul Hamlyn performance and this was not the Clara that day, unfortunately I didn't get a cast changes list (nor did I get a program which were free that day), it being my first time at the ROH. I think Clara was Isabella Gasperini, but I was sat quite far away and am guessing based on the blonde hair and the fact there was a rehearsal broadcast with her and David Yudes, due to injury.

 

I thought Benjamin Ella partnered very well, but his solo on the day I saw him was not quite up to standard, perhaps it was good his debut was to a more forgiving audience.

 

The highlight for me was Beatriz Stix-Brunell as The Rose Fairy, though this did raise an interesting question, in the section where she demonstrates to Clara and Clara then copies her I felt Clara danced a lot worse than her - well it wasn't bad, it was neat and small when some of the steps can travel a lot more. I didn't remember noticing this in the 2017 cinema relay and I was able to find this section online from that relay and Francesca Hayward matched the Rose Fairy. Unfortunately the whole of the Waltz of the Flowers looked under rehearsed, the eight "corps" flowers were fine, but both the 4 men and the 4 leading flowers had moments lacking synchronicity. Marcelino Sambe also outshone the other men, I'd never want to take away stage presence, but I'd prefer it if they all jumped to roughly the same height.

Edited December 30, 2018 by annekh510
to comment on Ella

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Annekh510 and welcome to the Forum!