Review: THE NUTCRACKER, Richmond Theatre

There's no doubt it feels quite strange to be seeing a ballet set at Christmas time in the middle of January. It's a similar feeling to passing a house with a tree still up in the living room window and tutting quietly.

The Moscow City Ballet show no sign of festive fatigue as they bring their version of The Nutcracker to Richmond Theatre this week, as part of a nationwide tour. Despite misgivings about the time of year, the timeless tale of Clara and her Christmas eve adventures with her beloved Nutcracker is usually a delight, for no other reason than the wonderful music.

With this production, the audience could be forgiven if they thought they were watching The Drosselmeier Show. The show makes his character one of the main focuses, as he conducts much of the action on stage. At the party, he takes on the role of a magician, dictating Clara's involvement with her Nutcracker.

In an unsettling turn in Act Two, he turns himself into a younger man and competes with the Nutcracker Prince for Clara's attention. There is a distinct battle on stage between Drosselmeier and the Nutcracker Prince for her affection and his resentment is palpable when she ignores him in favour of her Nutcracker.

There is also a strange absence of the Sugar Plum Fairy, a role that Kseniya Stankevich takes on as Clara. She is an accomplished dancer, but the transformation may be confusing for those who are not familiar with the story.

Conductor Igor Shark brings out the very best from the orchestra and the dancers, using all the light and shade in Tchikovsky's sublime score. Indeed, the music is the real highlight of the show and carries much of the action on stage. Only during the Russian dance did the orchestra sound as though they were flagging a little, which was a shame for the dancers, particularly Kseniya Basnet who showed an assured and strong performance.

The overall performance of the company is mixed. Victor Smirov-Golovanov's choreography is classically based, but there are several scenes that simply look lacklustre, as though the ensemble have run out of energy. The party scene at the beginning verges on the chaotic and the flat-footed landings of the children as they jump around look inelegant. Balance and fitness also let several of the dancers down.

There are some notable exceptions. Kseniya Stankevich and Talgat Kozhabaev make a sparkling pairing as Clara and the Nutcracker Prince. When they get the opportunity to have the stage to themselves in the second act they really shine. Stankevich has a quiet elegance and beautiful neckline and Kozhabaev appears to feel free to jump with more height and strength. Particularly impressive are their lifts, especially a perfectly balanced one handed one.

Faroukh Sadvokassov makes a good Nutcracker Doll, with strong fouetté turns and Kseniya Basnet is wooden in all the right ways as a magical Doll.

Daniil Orlov has a hard time with the focus on his role as Drosselmeier. He is incredibly tall and sometimes appears to lack control over his long limbs, especially his legs. His body looks wiry, rather than strong and his dance with the ensemble as the Flowers is awkward and oddly placed.

There is no set to speak of, with Clara having to fall asleep in the middle of the stage, rather than in a bed, but the backdrops and side panels are beautifully painted. The entire production is very colourful, with the Flowers in delicate pink tulle and all the children at the party in a wide variety of colourful costumes. The army of mice is very child-friendly, with heads like soft toys. The Mouse King is slightly more threatening, with three heads atop a bright red costume.

Overall, the production is an enjoyable evening with beautiful music and a colourful spectacle, but for a professional ballet company, it is not quite polished enough.

The Nutcracker is at Richmond Theatre until 18 January, then touring

Photo Credit: Russian City Ballet

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