This was my third Nutcracker of the season but the best was very definitely kept till last. Sir Peter Wright’s lavish production marked the company’s move to Birmingham in 1990 and is dedicated to that city in gratitude for being given a home. It’s generally accepted as being the best British Nutcracker among many and I must say that although I’ve seen it nearly every year it’s been mounted in Brum, this was one of its most impressive showings ever.
Maybe it was Christmas, maybe it was Saturday night, but the packed audience was treated to an extra display of verve and joie de vivre from the entire cast that was charming, thrilling, gob-smacking and amusing in equal measure. It’s always a wonderful evening’s entertainment with marvellous sets, stunning special effects and charm, beauty, awe and humour in lavish measure. But this year there seemed to be something special and I put this down to two factors.
One was the careful choosing of great dancers who can really act. For storytelling this is crucial if the show’s to come alive. So casting Laetitia Del Sardo as the young girl Clara was a bull’s eye hit. She moved through the action in a dream of delight, including us in all the pleasures and terrors of her dream. Similarly casting Robert Parker, superb actor and sublime dancer in the pivotal role of the magician Drosselmeyer who makes all the wonders work took the whole evening up a notch. Drosselmeyer is often portrayed as a remote, rather sinister figure but here Mr. Parker’s innate charm shone through the magician’s trappings to make him a genial master of ceremonies generating an unexpected aura of happiness throughout the proceedings.
The second factor was the magnificence of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia’s playing under the baton of new conductor Koen Kessels. They have never sounded better. Add in the lovely choir in the Land of Ice and Snow sequence and you have a truly thrilling performance of Tchaikovsky’s mystery-laden score.
An enchanted audience roared for more and more curtain calls at the finale. This is an expensive-looking production, pure theatrical luxury in fact and in my opinion worth the price of admission for the jaw-dropping transformation scenes alone. As a Christmas treat BRB’s Nutcracker really is the star on the top of the tree.
The production including matinee performances continues until December 11. For tickets phone the box office on 0844 338 5000 or go online at www.birminghamhippodrome.com.
