Review: NUTCRACKER, London Coliseum, December 16 2015

As is the case with opera, misconceptions abound with ballet. Some see it as just for toffs (and the ticket prices don't help, but ain't that the case for every show in the West End?). Some see it as difficult (do we have to know all those steps and positions to understand it - like Billy Elliot's teacher?). And some see it as simply not for them because you can't drink beer, watch football and go to the ballet, surely (Billy's legacy again I suppose)? Of course, all those assertions are completely spurious - art is, as ever, perfectly accessible if you're prepared to meet it halfway.

If you're a newbie and wondering if it's worth investing in a ticket for the ballet, I could not recommend the English National Ballet's Nutcracker (at The London Coliseum until 10 January) more highly - and you'll be joining a list of lifelong ballet fans for whom Tchaikovsky's Christmas crowdpleaser proved to be their gateway.

What do you get for your cash? In short, one of London's biggest and most awe-inspiring venues - you're at an event from the moment you push through the heavily glassed doors. Then there's the glorious music played by a full orchestra luxuriating in acoustics that only a purpose-built theatre provides, the sound richly infused with its source material, wood and metal, making familiar tunes exotic and (as required) airy as clouds or earthy as soil. Though there are probably some electronic aids somewhere, it certainly doesn't feel like that, an elemental quality driving the music forward. And then there are the sets, ranging from an Edwardian London townhouse to the Chinese lanterns of Beijing - everywhere your eye alights on a vast stage rewards you with pleasure.

Naturally, the stars of the show are the stars themselves, the extraordinary dancers who tell the tale of Clara's childhood nightmare visions of the Mouse King and his battles with her protector, her princely Nutcracker doll. And, like cake after cake at a feast, we get the multicultural victory celebrations, as the mysterious Drosselmeyer magically brings life to the children's toys.

Hokum, of course, but that's not the point. The beauty is in the eye (and ear) of the beholder, as Shiori Kase gives us the exquisite lines of limbs seemingly weightless (with the tiniest of slips at one point to remind us, inadvertently, that she was actually made of the same flesh, blood and bone as the rest of us). Fabian Reimair's mere walk around the stage, as he introduces his "toys" for their turns at the celebration, is a delight, natural balance being a gift so aesthetically pleasing to observe. James Forbat and James Streeter make wonderful foes, the Nutcracker and Mouse King graceful in their violent enmity. There's super work from the kids too, who do not just dance well, but nail some fine comic moments like veteran hoofers.

So if you have a little Christmas cash as a prezzie (c'mon, you know this beats an Amazon voucher) and want to treat yourself with a trip down Memory Lane if you're a veteran of Nutcrackers past or if you can't wait months for a seat at Mormon and fancy something different, you could do a lot worse than wallow in the sheer loveliness of this show.

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