A stalwart of the ballet season, Australian’s production of The Nutcracker follows Clara, a young ballet student, through a magical Christmas Eve as she celebrates with her family and then, at midnight, is transported to a fantastical world of flowers, moonlight, frost and dance.
The first act centres on the Stahlbaum family’s Christmas Eve celebrations at their home in a small town in Germany. As the children and their friends dance and play, a mysterious magician, Drosselmeyer, delivers entertainment and gifts. Clara is gifted a Nutcracker doll with which she instantly falls in love. After the doll is broken by her younger brother, Fritz, it is miraculously mended by the magician with a sweep of his wand.
After the others have gone to bed, Clara sneaks downstairs to play with the doll, which is lying beneath the Christmas tree. As the clock strikes midnight, a magical spell is cast over the scene. The Christmas tree grows three times in size, toy soldiers come to life, the Nutcracker doll transforms into a prince, and a plague of giant rats attack.
A battle ensues and Clara manages to stave off the King Rat by hitting him with her shoe. The prince then whisks her off to a magical land where she meets a captivating array of international dancers, the enchanting Snow Queen and the magical Sugar Plum Fairy. As dawn approaches, the prince transports a sleeping Clara home, where he places her back beneath the tree.
The story is based on a sinister folk story by E T A Hoffmann, which composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky adapted into a more palatable and gentle ballet. The Australian Ballet production follows the traditional version created by British choreographer Sir Peter Wright CBE, for The Royal Ballet in London. Here, there is a sense of fun, as mechanical rats whizz across the stage and flowers magically come into bloom, and a sense of wonder, as flurries of snow and sparkling ice whirl across the stage.
Together, the staging, costumes and lighting create a sense of enchantment, perfect for evoking the magic of Christmas.
The ballet design and costumes by veteran Glaswegian designer John F Macfarlane are delicious. In the party scene, a glorious Christmas tree adorned with candles is set beneath sweeping velvet and taffeta drapes in verdant green, maroon and royal purple. The second act is replete with enormous hibiscus, watercolour ferns and flurries of snow and ice. Mirroring the sets, the dancers wear dazzling tutus in pink, red, fern, forest and teahouse green.
The decadence of the design is perfectly complemented by the lighting design (by David Finn), with glowing embers from a hearth and flickering candles in the first act giving way to moonlight and the milky glow of the sun and shadows on a winter horizon.
Tchaikovsky’s score is exhilarating. While the dominant use of B flat major under the party scene creates a sense of foreboding, the key shifts to E major as Clara enters the dream world of the land of snow. The effect is to create a musical experience that keeps the audience enthralled and intrigued. Guest conductor Charles Barker uses this to great effect with the Opera Australia Orchestra, creating an exciting and full-of-life experience.
The dancers from the company sparkle like moonlight on frost. Mia Heathcote, as Clara, delivers a delightful performance. Luke Marchant, Cameron Holmes and Lucien Xu are swaggeringly expressive as Harlequin, the Nutcracker doll and Jack-in-the-box. Senior artists Imogen Chapman and Yuumi Yamada, as the Arab dancer and the energetic Columbine, also excel.
Callum Linnane is compelling as he sweeps across the stage and flourishes his wand as Drosselmeyer. Sharni Spencer delivers a skilful performance as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Joseph Caley is the epitome of a charming prince. Gillian Revie and Patrick Harding-Irmer deliver uplifting performances in their cameo roles as Clara’s grandmother and grandfather, while Ako Kondo, as the Rose Fairy, stands out with a superb performance full of charm, grace and feeling.
Read: Exhibition review: re/JOY, Vipoo Srivilasa, Australian Design Centre
Whether for young or old, The Australian Ballet’s Nutcracker will provide a magical way to instil some warmth and adventure in the run-up to Christmas this year.
The Nutcracker
The Australian Ballet
Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Choreography: Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon
Additional choreography courtesy of Birmingham Royal Ballet
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Costume and Set Design: John F Macfarlane
Conductor: Charles Barker
Concertmaster: Matthieu Arama
Lighting Design: David Finn
Guest Répétiteur: Mark Kay
With Opera Australia Orchestra and Australian Girls Choir
The Nutcracker will be performed until 18 December 2024.
