Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Glasgow’s Theatre Royal
The festive season for me doesn’t officially kick off until the Scottish Ballet commence their winter run of show dates. The Nutcracker is a wonderful family tale adapted into a beautifully choreographed performance, and glitzed with lights and baubles, and of course is indelibly linked with Christmas.
It’s 10 years since Scottish Ballet’s artistic director Christopher Hampson staged his acclaimed interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet and tonight the Christmas tale returned with sparkle, glistening to bring the festive feelings as you sit and take in the refined costumes, flawless stage design, and delightful choreography.
As you would expect, the Scottish Ballet Orchestra performs the famous Tchaikovsky score deftly and with precision, carrying great joy throughout the production. This telling of the well known tale of a young girl’s doll transformed into a real nutcracker prince before The Rat King and his army wreak havoc in their attempts to part the nutcracker from his owner transfixes with its fantastical dance spectacles. The young girl, Clara, played brilliantly by Ava Morrison. Mesmerisingly synced, the scene with the army of mice children carries us marvellously through to a number of duet dances that frame the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy across a backdrop of a might be a gazillion Christmas baubles.
At times the dance veers from what you might traditionally consider ballet, with waltzes and Spanish flamenco sidling into the performance, there are strong performances by both Yuri Marques Da Silva (The Nutcracker Prince) and Jessica Fyfe (the Sugar Plum Fairy). These sumptuous performances embellish and revive the tale with their flicks and eye-pleasing delivery. My personal favourite section of choreography is the Chinese Tea Dance performed here by Annie Au; the famous dance adding further decadence to the famous Christmas story. It really does enliven the production. The dance is presented without Yellow Face or other Chinese caricature, thankfully.
Combined with the extravagant set design, glam and fulsome costume (by Lez Brotherston, OBE), and the stirring delivery of the renowned and marvellous music from the pit, Scottish Ballet have pulled off another wonderous iteration, providing ripples of frilly festivity for audiences in the month ahead.
Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker runs at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal from 11th till 30th December 2024
Main photo credit: Andy Ross
