‘The Nutcracker’: A Holiday Treat From The Los Angeles Ballet
by Rachel Mathieu
For a dance enthusiast, the coming of winter months can only mean one thing — The Nutcracker.
For many, attending a performance of this beloved holiday classic is a time-honored tradition with the potential to offer its audience members something wonderfully familiar but interestingly new. Each ballet company faces the annual task of telling the classic Nutcracker tale in a fresh light, through some combination of new casting and reinvented choreography. Los Angeles Ballet whole-heartedly accomplishes this challenge through its beautiful, entirely mesmerizing 2015 production.
Although the party scene leaves a little to be desired in terms of energy and choreographic variety, the scene sparkles through the variety of comedic moments, particularly those executed by the bumbling but lovable maids and Zheng Hua Li’s whimsical portrayal of Uncle Drosselmeyer. The show quickly picks up in the battle scene, which elevates the suspense as war progresses between the toy soldiers and overgrown rats. The rats are frightening through the sheer size and realism of their costumes yet equipped with comedic value through their exaggerated movements, which includes the occasional sashay of a long pink tail and the dramatic, twitchy deaths of two rats, including the mighty Rat King.
Act 1’s finest moment, however, comes from the magical, utterly ethereal snow scene that brought Act 1 to a close. The snowflake corps dances with a uniform lightness and precision that entirely evoke images of descending snow whirling about in a windy winter blizzard. The artificial snow falling from the stage ceiling achieves special success both through the sheer volume of snow cascading to the ground and its eye-catching, exceptionally sparkly quality.
Act 2 showcases the characters of the Land of Sweets with the appropriate, expected grandeur, but includes a few alterations typical of previous productions but deviant from the typical story. Drosselmeyer’s Harlequin dolls of Act 1 return to substitute Chinese, and two Arabian attendants gain a prominent, largely comedic role dispersed throughout the Divertissements of Act 2. Although some classicists might find reason for objection through these changes, the quality of the dancing in Act 2, perhaps most specifically from Elizabeth Claire Walker, who performs her Arabian with an exquisite grace, slinkiness, and sensuality that entirely captivates the attention of the audience and elicits a roar of applause. Russian dancers Andrea Fabbri, Jeongkon Kim, and Saxon Wood wield a similar power over their observers through their perfect stamina and execution of an extremely challenging sequence of soaring jumps and sharp turns.
A less forgivable change comes through the replacement of the traditional Sugar Plum Fairy with a vaguely royal character of Marie, a name sometimes used instead of Clara but never for Sugar Plum, whose surprisingly underwhelming costume matches her unimpressive title. Nevertheless, both Marie and her Cavalier give a beautiful performance of the Sugar Plum Pas complete with graceful extensions, effortless lifts, and a harmonious, united relationship between partners. Although the brief insert of the gingerbread in the beginning of the Sugar Plum Coda serves as a confusing transition (variations are performed in Act 2 Intro), Marie and Cavalier finish the coda with great strength and tenacity.
The production closes with Clara’s realization that her nutcracker fairytale was all a happy, blissful dream, and the audience leaves thoroughly charmed and filled with holiday spirit by the delightful, spellbinding spectacle. Los Angeles Ballet’s beautiful rendition of the classic entirely fulfills any desire for quality holiday entertainment and offers several particularly awe-inspiring performances sure to keep sugar plums dancing in one’s head all season long.
The Nutcracker runs through December 27th at various locations around L.A. For more information and ticket sales for the 2015–16 season, please visit www.losangelesballet.org.
Contact Staff Reporter Rachel Mathieu here.
