The Nutcracker, Birmingham Royal Ballet Review 4*
London’s last Nutcracker of 2024, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production at the Royal Albert Hall, is an unalloyed delight
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker has many virtues, chief among them as far as London is concerned the way in which it makes such perfect use of the difficult, vast space of the Royal Albert Hall, where it’s returned this Christmas season.
Sir Peter Wright’s production, created for the company’s move to Birmingham in 1990 and since adapted by its former artistic director David Bintley, has designs by Dick Bird, projections by 59 Productions and lighting by Peter Teigen, an inspired combination that relies on the RAH features rather than complicated sets to create the settings where the dance can shine as it tells the story.
Bar a few tweaks, BRB’s The Nutcracker follows the traditional plot: at a Christmas Eve party in the well-to-do Stahlbaum family home, young Clara is given a nutcracker doll by her godfather Drosselmeyer; as midnight strikes she dreams her nutcracker turns into a handsome prince, who leads her to a magical land.
This Drosselmeyer is a creator of automata: the divertissements of Act II – Spanish dance, Arabian Dance etc – are performed by his creations come to life.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – The Nutcracker RAH 2024, Spanish Dance. Photo Drew Tommons
He is very much the orchestrator of all that occurs in Clara’s dream; and on press night Rory MacKay gave us his usual flamboyant, commanding Drosselmeyer.
The central prop in Act I is a Christmas tree, but as the clock placed high above the stage strikes midnight, magic really happens: the physical prop is discreetly wheeled away and replaced by an ever-growing Christmas tree in stunning colour and definition projected onto giant screens either side of the stage, while giant coloured baubles are slowly lowered from the ceiling. It’s an immersive wonder.
As indeed is the snow scene that closes Act I, where the projections are of trees robed in glinting ice crystals, and snow flakes drop from above onto the stage and the first rows of the arena.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – The Nutcracker RAH 2024. Photo: Drew Tommons
But, of course, dancing must take centre stage in any ballet, and BRB’s The Nutcracker offers many exciting ensemble scenes: for example, the vivid battle between an army of mice (both grown up and children), led by the villainous and richly apparelled King Rat, and the toy soldiers led by the Nutcracker.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – The Nutcracker RAH 2024. Photo: Annabel Moeller
Equally charming were the dance of the snowflakes, led by Snow Fairy Yuki Sugiura, and the Act II Waltz of the Flowers, with a fragrant Miki Mizutani as The Rose Fairy.
Beatrice Parma’s Clara was perhaps a little older than in other productions; well served by Parma’s solid technique (her quick bourrée particularly thrilling), this Clara was vivacious and always open to further delights and revelations.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – The Nutcracker RAH 2024, Beatrice Parma as Clara. Photo: Annabel Moeller
His stage presence marred by staggeringly ill-fitting costumes, Mathias Dingman danced the dual role of Nutcracker-turned-prince and Sugar Plum Fairy cavalier, and proved a reliable, unselfish partner to both Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Most impressive in this cast was Momoko Hirata as the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – The Nutcracker RAH 2024. Momoko Hirata as Sugar Plum Fairy. Photo: Drew Tommons
She made short work of the climactic pas de deux’s notoriously difficult choreography. Her smile radiant, each step light and self-assured, arms impeccably poised, turns of absolute perpendicularity, legs light and precise as those a wading bird, her deeply musical dancing sent shivers down my spine.
Tchaikovsky’s glorious score was played with transporting conviction by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Yi Wei.
(Banner Image credit: Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet in The Nutcracker. Photo: Andrew Ross)
© Teresa Guerreiro
BRB’s The Nutcracker is at the Royal Albert Hall 29 – 31 December 2024. All info and tickets here