Magical touch | 17 December 2005

Oh joy, oh bliss, it is Nutcracker season again! Hordes of overdressed and overexcited children invade our theatres, much to the despair of those who know that the kids’ excitement and attention will fade as soon as they realise that neither the Mouse King nor the Sugar Plum Fairy can be incinerated by one of Lord Voldemort’s spells. Indeed, a Harry Potter-esque version of the unsinkable classic could be an appropriate addition to the long series of radical, humorous, gothic and psychoanalytical versions of the 1892 ballet that we have seen in the past years. Yet, London balletomanes will find no such thing, nor any other new Nutcracker in their stockings this year.

Luckily, one may add, for it is about time that good standard versions of the classic were given a chance to dominate the Christmas ballet scene again. Take, for instance, the luscious Royal Ballet production, which, thanks to the genius of Peter Wright and the contributions of dance scholar Roland John Wiley, relies on unique theatre magic as well as on a thorough exploration of the ballet’s historical sources.