When does Christmas begin for you? When Bublé comes off ice? When the City Christmas Lights get switched on? Or perhaps when shops start to play Christmas music?
For me, it is when The Nutcracker ballet season starts. I cannot get into the festive mood until I’ve seen Clara go off with the Nutcracker to the Garden of Delights and see the snowflakes dancing at the end of Act 1. Only then am I charged up to feel all Christmas-y.
And so it was last night when Northern Ballet brought The Nutcracker in all its glory to Hull New Theatre.
The story begins with Clara’s family hosting a Christmas party in their home. The familiar music rang out through the theatre as the professional dancers together with children from RS Dance (a local dance school) arrive for the party.
Another guest arriving is Herr Drosselmeyer, a magician who brings a Nutcracker doll to the party and presents it to Clara. She immediately falls in love with her doll and shows it off to her friends. Unfortunately, her brother snatches the doll, drops it, and breaks it. Clara is heartbroken but luckily Drosselmeyer mends the doll. The party ends and the guests leave. As the family goes to bed, Clara has to leave the doll downstairs. She goes to bed and then the magic commences.
The mice (played by children from the dance school) come out to play as Clara comes to the Christmas tree for her doll. Magically, the doll becomes a human size Nutcracker Prince and dances and play-fights to show Clara what a great soldier he is.
Along comes The Mouse King. For me, this character steals the scene as he flosses, dances, and generally has fun taunting the Nutcracker Prince and they get into a serious fight.
The Prince is about to be defeated when Clara boffs the Mouse King on the head and the Prince stabs him with his sword. The Mouse King dies somewhat dramatically to much laughter from the audience and is dragged away by the mice.
The Prince turns into a human and, along with Drosselmeyer, takes off to the Garden of Delights by way of a sleigh amongst dancing snowflakes and snow falling from the sky. The stage looks magical and as Clara and the Prince go off stage, the curtain came down all too soon for the interval.
In Act 2 we are entertained by dancers from around the world, Chinese, Arabian, French and Russian dancers, and then on comes the highlight of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. The night ends and Clara finds herself back home and confused, where did everyone go?
Why should you go and see this production? Well, it put me in my happy place. It was absolutely enchanting and the professionals and dance school pupils just bubbled with pleasure and happiness.
They were all so pleased to be dancing this beautiful ballet and presenting the story to us. Even at the interval, we all felt elated and our spirits were lifted, by the end I think everyone felt Christmas-y indeed.
Clara (Rachael Gillispie) was such a graceful character. Playful and fairylike herself. She was light of foot and arms, and her acting presented the delight of a young girl experiencing a magic kingdom.
Supported by the Nutcracker Prince (Harris Beattie) who was very supportive and caring of the young girl’s character. They made a delightful pairing.
The Mouse King (Bruno Serraclara) was absolutely brilliant in this comic role. The choreography is as far from classical ballet as you can get. He had the audience in stitches flossing and jumping about and how he didn’t fall over his long tail I don’t know.
Drosselmeyer the magician (Mlindi Kulashe) was fabulous with his cape waving and magic tricks entrancing the children on stage and also guiding Clara and the Prince. He was as flamboyant as you expect a magician to be.
The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince (or in this production her Cavalier) danced so beautifully in their solos and then their Pas de Deux (when they dance together) it really is a highlight of the ballet.
I love The Nutcracker, not only for the dancing but also for the dreamy music by Tchaikovsky. It’s timeless and everyone knows at least one tune from the ballet. The sets were magical and superbly supported the storytelling and the costumes were bright and cheery.
I also love The Nutcracker for the opportunity it gives local young dancers to perform alongside professionals and learn some stagecraft. Well done to the Dance School teacher for such well-disciplined and talented children.
Don’t miss this production and don’t forget to pick up a programme which is delightful in itself – it has glitter.
Running until Saturday with a matinee in the afternoon, it is ideal for family entertainment. Tickets are still available on the Hull New Theatre website.
We are very lucky to have Northern Ballet stationed just along the M62 in Leeds. They are just about local and have their own vocational school and scholarship programs for promising dancers. Go and see them and have fun.
Now I’m going to sort out my Christmas.
