Birmingham Royal Ballet Nutcracker Nov/Dec 2017

[northstar]

No posts on this year's BRB Nutcracker yet? Can't find any on the forum unless I am missing them somehow. Would love to hear from those who have attended this year. Perhaps since this is such a familiar production people feel they have not much to add to reviews/posts from previous years - but surely they are always new sensations/insights to be discussed ? 

 

I attended yesterday eve (Tues 12th Dec 2017) where the leads Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy/Prince were Miki Mizutani/Delia Mathews/Edivaldo Souza da Silva.

 

I thought maybe I'd give Nutcracker a rest this year since in the last 5 years seeing it nearly every year either from BRB, ENB (live) and RB (cinema). But maybe it's a bit like Christmas itself, often I think I'm going to opt out this year, but then I can't help being seduced by the beauty/excitement of it, despite the fact it's usually a disappointment and I'm sick of it before it's over. I must admit I've had this exact feeling in relation to the Nutcracker. But then, I started hearing the music on Radio 3 and with the frosty snowy weather I got seduced again. Then I saw Mathews was dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy (I was v impressed when I saw her as Bintley's Cinderella recently) and Celine Gittens was the Rose Fairy and I remembered fondly my first live experience of BRB Nutcracker in 2014 where I saw Gittens in the same role and thought she was already a Principal (the wonderful Elisha Willis was the SPFairy). I concluded a 3-year gap was a reasonable wait to see the best Nutcracker in the land and booked my ticket.

 

I do think the Fanny-and-Alexander-inspired set design by John Macfarlane is superior to any other I have seen for this ballet, and I feasted my eyes upon it. The Act I party action I regret I can only tolerate nowadays rather than appreciate, instead I try to focus on the brilliant music played by live orchestra which some say is the key to the the ballet's enduring success through the centuries. 

 

The few points which really made this Nutcracker once more a magical experience for me was Gittens as the Rose Fairy, the genius of the Arabian dance in this production, and finally Mathews as the Sugar Plum Fairy. She really was a sight to behold in the pas de deux, solo, and coda; absolutely everything you could hope for in this role, utterly regal, other-worldly. I've not seen dozens of SPFairies, but have seen brilliant versions by Willis and recently Alina Cojocaru in ENB productions and am very happy to add the memory of Mathews to these memories. She and Souza Da Silva delivered the climax, the jewel in the crown, of the ballet so perfectly that any doubts I had had about attending it again were dispelled. 

 

There was snow cover in the streets around the Birmingham Hippodrome and an expectedly packed theatre (I understand the city was one of the worst affected and Sunday's performance was cancelled).   

   

Would be very interested to hear any other forum user's reflections on this run.

Edited December 13, 2017 by northstar
spelling mistake

[Jan McNulty]

I saw both performances on Thursday last week.  In the afternoon we saw Miki/Yaoqian Shang/Mathias Dingman and in the evening Laura Day/Karla Doorbar/Tzu-Chao Chou.

 

This is my absolute favourite Nutcracker production.  I have seen it every year it has been performed since its first season at Christmas 1990. I well remember the audience cheering the transformation scene - I think it is the first time I had ever seen a set cheered before!

 

I absolutely adored Miki as Clara.  You could see she was a girl on the cusp of young womanhood the way she held the doll but then noticed her dancing partner...  Laura Day was similarly excellent.  Yaoqian Shang is exquisite as Sugar Plum and Mathias Dingman is every inch the dashing Nutcracker Prince.  I love the burgeoning on-stage partnership between Karla Doorbar and Tzu-Chao Chou - I think they really complement each other.  Tzu-Chao has oodles of enthusiasm and a great on stage presence.  He is a real pocket rocket.

 

It was a lovely day in Birmingham!

[Two Pigeons]

I went twice and was able to get a seat to see Brandon Lawrence with Celine Gittens.  They were fab and there was much else to enjoy,  Lachlan Monaghan as the Jack in the box and Jonathan Paynes's quiet reliability as Drosselmeyer.  I was very underwhelmed by the Clara and simply longed for Laura Day's rapt enchantment which I had seen two years ago. 

 

Hubby and I went the following week and I was completely bowled over by Yasuo Atsji as the prince but utterly knocked out by Yvette Knight.  Elmhurst school were in and they all cheered her from the rafters.  Clearly she has her fans and I was fast joining them.  Celine was the Snow Fairy and very good she was too.

 

However, the main highlight for me was to enjoy my last chance to see Iain Mackay appearing as Drosselmeyer.  I can only repeat that he will be very much missed,  both on and off stage. 

Edited December 14, 2017 by Two Pigeons

[Tony Newcombe]

Like you, Two Pigeons, I too was was bowled over by Yvette Knight as the Sugar Plum Fairy. She has emerged from under the radar as wonderfully elegant dancer. Her second movement in Concerto a few weeks ago with Yasuo Atsuji has been one of the highlights of the year for me. On Tuesday night she was a wonderful Snow Fairy and then beautifully exotic in the Arabian Dance. At last nights performance I finally got to see Laura Day as Clara. She is becoming technically stronger and with her wonderful stage presence, she is a sight to cherish.

[Two Pigeons]

It sounds as if the company was able to provide 3 stunning casts for the second movement of Concerto.  I was only able to see two but was completely captivated by them both.  Unfortunately Yvette was the one I missed out on.  I know that Maurice who contributes to this forum has been a big fan of Yvette for at least a couple of years.  I have seen her in bits and pieces but not a principal role until now and I am a total convert.

 

I was also a bit resistant to Yasuo Atsuji for the rather illogical reason that I felt he had had the promotion Brandon should have been given.  Whatever are the rights and wrongs of what happened there he totally justifies his current First Soloist rank and I will be a lot more open minded in future about him.

 

We are so lucky to be able to watch such talent.  I just hope that next year's repertoire gives them both several chances to shine.

Edited December 14, 2017 by Two Pigeons

[nottsballetlover]

I saw 2 BRB Nuts this year, both superb. I know I don't have enough adjectives to do it justice!! Booking already open for next year. Not sure my bank account can take it as I also now have NB's Nutcracker to book for 😁

[northstar]

Thanks for these posts and observations. Great as always on this forum to hear praise and excitement about dancers I'm not yet very familiar with. Yvette knight danced the arabian on the night I attended which was a highlight for me.

 

27 years of seeing brb nutcrackers is quite mind boggling Janet. I would love to hear of your standout memories from these years.

 

Thanks also Two Pigeons for the tribute to Iain Mackay I fully agree. I have only come to really appreciate this glorious dancer recently - saw him in Taming of the shrew last year he was brilliant. Sad that I will not have chances to see him dance. I'm now looking at his final performances in jan and working out how I can see them.

 

 

[Two Pigeons]

Not wish to tread on Janet's toes as your request was directed to her, I think my favourite memory from the premiere was seeing the transformation for the first time and practically cheering when Kevin O'Hare appeared out as King Rat, emerging from the fireplace at the top of that wonderful music.

 

Still gets to me every time even after all these years.

[BMC]

Just got back from today's matinee at the Albert Hall. I has been really looking forward to seeing the BRB Nutcracker again after quite a while - I remember really loving it and feeling it was at least on a par with the Royal Ballet production, if not slightly superior. After several years, I can still remember the Christmas tree growing and filling the stage. Having said that, I do have real reservations about ballet at the Albert Hall and really wish I had acted on my instincts and booked a trip to Birmingham. I don't know whether anyone else feels the same but wherever I sit, I feel completely disengaged from what is happening on stage (in a way that never happens when I sit in the back row of the amphi at Covent Garden or the Coliseum, from where I can easily get totally lost in a production).   Added to that, the venue also meant another of my pet hates - dancers speaking, in this case Drosselmeyer narrating the story (fortunately quite briefly). I was all ready for things to pick up in the transformation scene but the normal sized tree was wheeled off while we simply watched fir tree branches growing on a screen. I am really sorry to be so negative as I always enjoy watching BRB whenever I get the opportunity and my gripes have absolutely nothing to do with the dancers - Celine Gittens was a beautiful Sugar Plum. I think I have now learned my lesson that whatever the temptation, don't book for the Albert Hall for ballet (particularly for ballets where the sets are an integral part - a bare stage, mirrors and lighting just aren't the same). It's definitely the train to Brum next year!

[Tony Newcombe]

BMC, sorry to hear that you did not enjoy the staging. I was at this matinee as well. Having had reservations about staging it at the RAH, I decided to book after reading about the staging in BRB magazine Entrechat. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and thought Bintley had done a very good job of adapting it to the RAH. I should say that I was seated in the arena which gave a traditional stalls seating experience.

[BMC]

Tony - I was right at the top which I don't suppose helped matters but I have always struggled with ballet at the Albert Hall. I think it must be personal as I can never remember enjoying any ballet there despite seeing quite a few performances with ENB and now BRB. It's a shame but you win some, you lose some and I suspect I was in a tiny minority (perhaps a minority of one) in not having a good time today.

[Tony Newcombe]

BMC, there is always a risk of being disappointed with the seating arrangements at the big arenas such as the RAH and O2 arena. I paid top price to see the Royal Ballet at the O2 only to find myself sitting at the side of the stage and unable to even see the screens that had been installed high above the stage. 

[alison]

Well, I'm still gutted about not being able to afford to go to this one - I'd happily have stood, had standing been provided.

[Anna C]

We were at the RAH on Friday and having never seen BRB's Nutcracker, I had no idea of what to expect.  On the whole, it was lovely.  I had half expected an "in the round" staging so it was a surprise to see a relatively small stage which seemed to encroach just less than halfway into the arena.  The occasional narration was also an unwelcome surprise (Simon Callow with a rather OTT German accent). This was less bothersome at the very beginning of the ballet but felt very intrusive towards the end of the Snowflakes.  

 

The only other slight disappointment was the transformation scene, purely because of the bareness of the set (no dolls' house, no wheelchair etc) and the fact that instead of growing, the tree shrank slightly then disappeared! This was made up for in part by the excellent use of projection of Christmas tree branches onto the organ and choir seats, and the lowering of several immense baubles from the roof, so I assume we were meant to feel as though we were underneath the tree?  The mice then emerged from the fireplace which was an inventive touch.  

 

Beautiful dancing throughout and the orchestra was in fine form.  The use of lighting, projection and snow (which fell on the arena audience as well as the stage) were imaginitive and enchanting, making up in part for Drosselmeyer's lack of glitter and providing distraction for the Nutcracker to turn from Aitor Galende's doll into Tyrone Singleton's Prince.  I didn't get a cast sheet until the interval as there wasn't one in my overpriced programme (£10!) so had to play "Guess Who" during the first act, although I recognised the wonderful Iain Mackay as Drosselmeyer.  Clara, a delightful young girl just discovering her womanhood, was danced beautifully by Laura Day.  

 

Highlights in Act 2 were the Mirlitons, especially a sparkling Maureya Lebowitz;  Rose Fairy danced by the adorable and joyous Yaoquian Shang, and of course Jenna Roberts' gorgeous, controlled and dainty Sugar Plum, partnered beautifully by Singleton.  I know there are some detractors of Royal's set in act 2 but I do think some set would have been preferable to a completely bare stage which we had at the RAH. 

 

All in all a very different but hugely entertaining Nutcracker. 

 

Having never seen Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome, I was wondering how different the RAH staging was? Is there usually a narrator? 

[RMM1]

No, there is no narrator in Birmingham. David Mead's review comments on a lot of the changes made for the Royal Albert Hall production: http://www.seeingdance.com/brb-albert-hall-nutcracker-29122017/

 

[Tony Newcombe]

In reply to Anna C, there is no narrator in the BRB Hippodrome version. The Rose Fairy at the matinee was actually danced by Beatrice Parma. As for the snowflakes, I was sitting towards the back of the arena and was absolutely covered by the end of the first act. Great fun. Glad you enjoyed it. I suppose it was a case of swings and roundabouts as far as the adaptation for the RAH.

[Anna C]

We were there Friday evening, Tony, when Rose was Yaoquian Shang. 

 

Ah, that's interesting re the narrator.  Perhaps first-time Nutcracker viewers or young children found it helpful. 

 

I forgot to mention the remote control rats - they were great! 

[Anna C]

40 minutes ago, RMM1 said:

No, there is no narrator in Birmingham. David Mead's review comments on a lot of the changes made for the Royal Albert Hall production: http://www.seeingdance.com/brb-albert-hall-nutcracker-29122017/

 

 

That's really helpful, thank you.  I have resolved to save up and make the journey to Birmingham one year to see the "home" production. Interesting that Mead didn't find the narrator intrusive when I did, but horses for courses. ☺️ I agree with him regarding the choir; I assumed they were pre-recorded? 

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, Anna C said:

 

That's really helpful, thank you.  I have resolved to save up and make the journey to Birmingham one year to see the "home" production. Interesting that Mead didn't find the narrator intrusive when I did, but horses for courses. ☺️ I agree with him regarding the choir; I assumed they were pre-recorded? 

 

Oh Anna you must come to Birmingham to see this Nutcracker in its home theatre.  The set in Act 1 is luxurious and the transformation scene is THE BEST EVER!!!  The set in act 2 leaves the stage bare but there are symbols of the dances hanging down at the sides and a back-drop.  There's definitely no narrator!!!

[Anna C]

56 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Oh Anna you must come to Birmingham to see this Nutcracker in its home theatre.  The set in Act 1 is luxurious and the transformation scene is THE BEST EVER!!!  The set in act 2 leaves the stage bare but there are symbols of the dances hanging down at the sides and a back-drop.  There's definitely no narrator!!!

 

Brilliant! I adore Royal's Nutcracker but I know how beloved BRB's is so I'll start saving, Jan!