Scottish Ballet The Nutcracker Festival Theatre Edinburgh 2nd Deccember 2021 Review
Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker is at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh for all of December, and tonight’s performance (Thursday 2nd) was a welcome return to this ever popular and ever magical production.
Any chance to watch a Scottish Ballet production on-stage is always a welcome one to me, but the company’s Christmas/Festive season productions are always something special, and The Nutcracker is always to me that little bit extra special, and there are many reasons for this including the beautiful and timeless Tchaikovsky’s score. I don’t think that I will ever tire of hearing the music for Pas de Deux (Andante Maestoso), and it is always a highlight of this ballet, and performed tonight by Marge Hendrick (The Sugar Plum Fairy) and Evan Loudon (The Nutcracker Prince) to an obviously appreciative audience. Bringing Tchaikovsky’s score to life tonight was the Scottish Ballet Orchestra (conducted by Jean-Claude Picard), and it was good to see their return too.
Just what is it that makes this ballet so popular across the world? Perhaps that is an answer best left as a mystery, for if we ever find that answer maybe a little bit of the magic will go with it. Part of the answer of course is that Scottish Ballet’s production is the1972/73 Peter Darrell (1st director of Scottish Ballet) inspired re-creation of the classic original, and the work that gave us so many elements that we now take for granted in “The Nutcracker”. Much of the credit of the ballet in its current form must always go to Christopher Hampson, CEO/Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet who was committed to bringing this ballet back into the company’s repertoire when he arrived in 2013, and his gentle revisions have ensured that new generations can see this work and take it into their hearts too. It is always interesting to watch this production evolve, almost as a living entity in its own right over the years and some important elements have taken place this year with scenes in The Land of the Sweets being re-worked to remove potential racial stereotypes, and for the first time in the ballet’s history, the role of the magician being performed by both men and women, and Madeline Squire as Drosselmeyer sprinkled her magic everywhere on-stage.
The Nutcracker is always a production where I tend to review everything as a whole rather than concentrate on individual performances and this one is no different. The reason for this is that perhaps more than any other work by Scottish Ballet, The Nutcracker is a story for children, and by the magic of dance, we all (adults included) get taken on a magical journey into the dreams of a child, Clara (Caoimhe Fisher). As always, this “Nutcracker” gives children from local dance schools the opportunity to be part of the story, and some may go on to professional dance careers of their own, but even if this is not their destiny then the magic of these performances will stay with them forever.
Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker is always from the moment that curtain rises a production where great attention has been paid to every small detail, and award-winning set and costume designer Lez Brotherston must be given full credit for so much of the visual wonderland that music and dance transport us into for this story. Whether it be a performance by The Snow Queen (Grace Horler), the toys of the toy-box coming to life, the national dances in The Land of The Sweets, or the wonderful mice, rat, and monkeys, this magical wonderland of pure fantasy and dreams is obviously a very special place for both performers and audience to be in and share for an enchanted evening together.
Review by Tom King (c) 2021
ARTS REVIEWS EDINBURGH
Any chance to watch a Scottish Ballet production on-stage is always a welcome one to me, but the company’s Christmas/Festive season productions are always something special, and The Nutcracker is always to me that little bit extra special, and there are many reasons for this including the beautiful and timeless Tchaikovsky’s score. I don’t think that I will ever tire of hearing the music for Pas de Deux (Andante Maestoso), and it is always a highlight of this ballet, and performed tonight by Marge Hendrick (The Sugar Plum Fairy) and Evan Loudon (The Nutcracker Prince) to an obviously appreciative audience. Bringing Tchaikovsky’s score to life tonight was the Scottish Ballet Orchestra (conducted by Jean-Claude Picard), and it was good to see their return too.
Just what is it that makes this ballet so popular across the world? Perhaps that is an answer best left as a mystery, for if we ever find that answer maybe a little bit of the magic will go with it. Part of the answer of course is that Scottish Ballet’s production is the1972/73 Peter Darrell (1st director of Scottish Ballet) inspired re-creation of the classic original, and the work that gave us so many elements that we now take for granted in “The Nutcracker”. Much of the credit of the ballet in its current form must always go to Christopher Hampson, CEO/Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet who was committed to bringing this ballet back into the company’s repertoire when he arrived in 2013, and his gentle revisions have ensured that new generations can see this work and take it into their hearts too. It is always interesting to watch this production evolve, almost as a living entity in its own right over the years and some important elements have taken place this year with scenes in The Land of the Sweets being re-worked to remove potential racial stereotypes, and for the first time in the ballet’s history, the role of the magician being performed by both men and women, and Madeline Squire as Drosselmeyer sprinkled her magic everywhere on-stage.
The Nutcracker is always a production where I tend to review everything as a whole rather than concentrate on individual performances and this one is no different. The reason for this is that perhaps more than any other work by Scottish Ballet, The Nutcracker is a story for children, and by the magic of dance, we all (adults included) get taken on a magical journey into the dreams of a child, Clara (Caoimhe Fisher). As always, this “Nutcracker” gives children from local dance schools the opportunity to be part of the story, and some may go on to professional dance careers of their own, but even if this is not their destiny then the magic of these performances will stay with them forever.
Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker is always from the moment that curtain rises a production where great attention has been paid to every small detail, and award-winning set and costume designer Lez Brotherston must be given full credit for so much of the visual wonderland that music and dance transport us into for this story. Whether it be a performance by The Snow Queen (Grace Horler), the toys of the toy-box coming to life, the national dances in The Land of The Sweets, or the wonderful mice, rat, and monkeys, this magical wonderland of pure fantasy and dreams is obviously a very special place for both performers and audience to be in and share for an enchanted evening together.
Review by Tom King (c) 2021
ARTS REVIEWS EDINBURGH
