Review: NUTCRACKER, London Coliseum

The beautiful story of Nutcracker is as festive as Father Christmas and mince pies. Clara and her Christmas Eve battle with the evil Mouse King to rescue her beloved Nutcracker leads to a magical trip to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

When Tamara Rojo took over as Artistic Director of the English National Ballet, she inherited Wayne Eagling's version of Nutcracker. As she has since more than proved her innovative style, it seems a shame that she has not updated this rather muddled version. Eagling's version keeps Clara as the focus, imagining herself as an adult travelling to the land of snow with her handsome suitor. There is more than a hint of sexual awakening in this version, as well as some confusing narrative. The Mouse King is not actually seen to be defeated and the morphing of Clara into the Sugar Plum Fairy is a little bewildering.

There is a rotating cast throughout the run, but the night of review saw Tamara Rojo as Clara. Rojo has musicality running in her veins and so her responses to the score are wonderfully natural. She has a delicate poise and elegance that is breathtaking, and her balance is remarkable.

An admirer of Rojo since he was a young teenager, Isaac Hernández has already been making waves since he joined the company in 2015, with well-received performances such as Albrecht in Amran Khan's Giselle. Here he plays the Nephew with a precise strength and measured control.

The final pas de deux between Rojo as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Hernandez showcases Rojo's poise more than his, but their solo work is individually stunning, with Hernandez providing spectacular leaps.

Sophia Mucha and Euan Garrett are charming as Clara and Freddie as children. Garrett particularly has huge energy and Mucha has real elegance in her movements. Daniel Kraus's Mouse King is suitably twitching and menacing in his terrifying red-eyed costume, and James Streeter is on fine form as the deftly magical Drosselmeyer.

The ballet gives the audience an opportunity to see some of the finer dancers of the company. The Spanish and Arabian Dances are particularly well tuned.

Eagling's choreography of the crowd scenes is fabulous; the look is opulent and totally engaging. The Waltz of the Snowflakes and the Waltz of the Flowers are delicate and beautiful to watch, but also show some less than perfectly timed co-ordination of movement and footwork in some of the company.

Cathy Hill's costumes are stunning; the visual effect of the vivid colours and shimmering textures used is breathtaking, especially in The Waltz of the Flowers. It is easy to believe that each Flower man's waistcoat takes 34 hours to make and over 3,000 metres of fabric are used for the costumes, such is the level of detail.

The English National Ballet Philharmonic is worth the ticket price alone. Gavin Sutherland's conducting is perfectly judged and sensitive to every movement on stage. There is real character brought out of the music.

It is incredible to note that the 1892 premiere of the ballet was not greatly received. Tchaikovsky would never know the phenomenal success of his ballet, as he died not long afterwards. His incredible score sounds as sweet today as it ever did.

John Campbell's scenic design is opulent and luxurious; set changes are seamless and there is a beautiful use of snowflake effects. The hot air balloon that Clara floats away in at the end of Act 1 is impressively staged. There is just something a little lacking in Christmas magic; lighting is often dull and the growth of the Christmas tree as Clara enters her fantasy world is lost at the back of the stage.

There are moments of true beauty in this production, but a clearer narrative and more enchantment are needed to make it a complete Christmas treat.

Nutcracker is at London Coliseum until 7 January, 2017

Photo Credit: ASH

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