Lorna Irvine reviews Scottish Ballet's current tour of the classic, calling it a 'festive must-see'.
It is perhaps fitting that Cristopher Harrison's Herr Drosselmeyer, the eccentric toymaker at the heart of The Nutcracker, looks a bit like Andy Warhol, as everyone in Scottish Ballet's terrific new adaptation gets their fifteen minutes to shine on stage.
Ashley Page's latest production, his first full-length ballet, has an exhilarating 'expect the unexpected' focus: thus, the setting, usually the latter part of the 19th century, has been transposed to the 1920s, where the Charleston and ballet merge and Boys Own comic book imagery pervades- such as a hovering string of fat sausages, grotesque crying baby and a dummy head getting cracked open.
Indeed, Antony McDonald's set, which splits in two, is utterly ravishing; doors open out onto giant Christmas trees, doll houses and red velvet interiors- it's not unlike taking like a peek inside a cabinet of curiosities.
Yet there is substance along with style- the lead character Marie, touchingly portrayed by Bethany Kingsley-Garner, has an aching coming-of-age subtext involving her unrequited love for father figure Drosselmeyer and subsequent transference to the Prince (Erik Cavalleri) as she blossoms into womanhood- her Sugar Plum Fairy is rich, feisty rather than cloying- although there is a slight lack of chemistry in the Grand Pas with Cavalleri.
What really impresses however is the playful humour- the Grandfather, portrayed by Jamial Laurence is a priapic old souse, chasing the maids around, before they dance en pointe with chamber pots. Sophie Laplane's imperious Governess even has a touch of Weimar republic performer in her leather corset. This little pinch of raunch gives an edge to a storyline which has often suffered from being too twee- but it is still family friendly and with a big heart.
A real festive must-see.
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