THE NUTCRACKER AT THE COLISEUM
Erina Takahashi and Francesco Gabriele Frola in Nutcracker Laurent Liotardo / English National Ballet
The Nutcracker ballet is quintessentially Christmassy. In the glittering space of the Coliseum, more than a hundred dancers and musicians make the season magic with a timeless performance of possibly the most well known ballet of them all. You can hardly go wrong with a score by Tchaikovsky but every production appears fresh. Artistic ingenuity certainly infused this year’s production which opened on Thursday night. Designer Peter Farmer infuses a timeless story with Edwardian novelty.
The story is well known.
Dr Drosselmeyer, a rather mysterious old family friend, gives Clara her Christmas present – a Nutcracker doll. Clara is thrilled and begins to dance with it. Brother Freddie breaks the doll when he gets his hands on it. In despair, Clara turns to Dr Drosselmeyer for help. He, as if by magic, manages to put the doll back together again. That night as midnight chimes, Clara dreams of a battle between the terrifying Mouse King and the transformed Nutcracker who bravely takes him on . The Mouse King triumphs in scenes where you do actually cringe from the mice (rather more like rats) as they cling to the curtains in a horribly lifelike way. Anyone with a mouse phobia, look away now, but there is a brilliant balletic artistry in their parts. As snow begins to fall they retire eerily victorious leaving the injured soldier Nutcracker and Clara in the falling snow.
The further acts of the performance simply improve on a good beginning. Uncluttered by beautifully performing children, the designer’s imagination challenges the brilliant dancers’ abilities. The Nutcracker and Clara move around the set and scenes in a novel way for instance. The two fuse into a spell-binding story with all the glamour of ballet combined with the thrill and mystery of the story.
A full orchestral partnership and the creme de la creme of International ballet performers make this a Nutcracker to rejoice in
Back in the real world, darkness threatens the elegance of the Coliseum as Arts Council plans to close it loom nearer. Two million pounds of this saving will go to our own Junction in Cambridge, which whilst worthy of support can hardly be expected to vie with the artistic creativity of The English National Opera and Ballet at their home. Today’s news hints at a re-think of the shutdown with a plea from top operatic performer Sir JohnTomlinson. He has hoved into the fracas over the shock decision of the Arts Council to withdraw annual funding from the company saying “Every singer needs a thriving musical world around them”. When he heard about it he says “I felt total disbelief. The company has ticked all the boxes for years”. He refers here to the inclusivity and open ticket policy at the Coliseum. He has written to Sir Nicholas Serota - head of the Arts Council - to make the case for the cultural life of the Coliseum and the companies it supports.
Accusations of cultural elitism fog this debate. My own scan of the Nutcracker’s ticket system reveals a huge effort to offer a broad price range with some very good value offers especially for school age children.
Sir John Tomlinson who was born in Oswaldthwistle and first sang with the Accrington Male Voice Choir is a true man of the North. But he reckons that a trip to London to see an opera was what did it for him “it’s the real stuff” he claimed. And surely that’s true of the ballet too? Some events are worth travelling for.
The ensemble dance for the Nutcracker
The Mouse King does battle
Erina-Takahashi-and-Aitor-Arrie
Francesco Gabriele lead dancer
Fabian Reimair- - Lead dancer
