The Nutcracker, Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Wednesday September 18th 2014
This production of "The Nutcracker" premiered at the Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1990. The Australian Ballet premiered this production in 2007. "The Nutcracker" provides audiences the thrill of a classical narrative ballet. It also provides the magical opportunity for many new dancers to realise a dream to dance in "The Nutcracker.""The Nutcracker" is an iconic narrative crowd pleaser ballet. This version choreographed by Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov and Vincent Redmon brings such joy to many people for its spectacular sets, memorable music and clear story telling.
The magnificent sets and costumes by John F. Macfarlane provide the icing on the cake for the dancers to physically immerse themselves.
We were advised that filming was to occur at this performance. I am sure that there will be some severe editing from this performance to cover up some technical issues. However, I am sure that they have filmed multiple performances and will edit accordingly.
Act One focuses on the Christmas festivities with the focus on Clara receiving her Nutcracker doll which is broken by her brother, Fritz. Clara was danced beautifully by Benedicte Bemet showing off her innocence and exquisite lines. Fritz danced by Ethan Slocomb won the audience's hearts with his boyish cheekiness. The audience giggled and laughed at his antics. His facial expressions and miming carried through the theatre, while some adults miming was not as clear.
The magic of the production was marred by some minor technical issues including the silver bauble which did not stay on the tree and that a stage hand had to retrieve. There were four dancers who could have picked up the bauble without us noticing as if were part of the action. Why didn't any of these two couples pick up the bauble and put it back on the tree? By pretending to ignore the bauble they highlighted its presence. They lost an opportunity to maintain the reality of the festivities and thus took us away from the fantasy.
Later, in Act Two, during the Spanish trio, one male dancer did not manage to throw his hat off stage completely. As the trio exited stage left, he kicked the hat off stage. Why didn't he reach down to scoop it up as he exited? This would have been a natural action and kept the flow of the movement. His "soccer" kick scored a goal through the tabs and highlighted the presence of the hat as an error.
Kevin Jackson can on occasions over extend his foot pointing and curl his toes under, in contrast to standing next to the other male dancers. It jars against the lines of the other male dancers. He is such a fine dancer and this takes away from his majesty.
The mother's solo in Act One was danced beautifully by Ingrid Gow. Though, it is such a wasted piece of corny choreography, as we can only see her port de bras and it is as if she is being wheeled on a "truck" and the dress follows suit. I guess her fluidity of footwork created such an even skateboard effect.
Some of the girls in the "Waltz of the Flowers" sequence need to roll through to en-pointe and to use less shoulders. It appeared that some were "heaving" themselves onto pointe and takes away from any opportunity to look light.
Some of the aspects that I relished follow:
The characters were more well defined in Act One than when I had seen previous performances. Some of the miming was more explicit for some characters than others. The levels of miming needs to be consistent with all dancers.
Brett Chynoweth as Clara's dancing partner, showcased his pure technique and his strength. I love his precision and his lines that extend into the wings. He supported Benedicte Bemet and they danced in concert.
Another highlight included Robin Hendricks in the Arabian dance ably supported by John-Paul Idaszak, Mitchell Raynor and Cristiano Martino. The four danced in unison and created strong angular lines in their port de bras, which were missing in 'La Bayadere." These three fine men admirably ensured that Robin Hendricks was the centre piece.
Laura Tong is such a distinctive dancer with strong features and magnificent technique and fine artistry. Laura's Snow Fairy at the end of Act One was beautiful and she has a lightness and weightlessness is something that other dancers could learn from. She is such a fine presence and her slip on the snow did not faze her. Her steely technique and artistry would not be conquered. She reminded me of some Russian prima ballerinas that I have been lucky to see in the 1970s.
The finale to Act One had two rows of ladies in a diagonal to the upstage right corner. Their pose in epaulment provided such a conclusive and everlasting image. The consistent lines were sheer magic.
The Rose Fairy Consorts in Act Two were danced with strength and masculinity by Rudy Hawkes, Brett Simon, Jared Wright and Brodie James. I enjoyed their unity in musicality and creating an atmosphere.
The music was played well as led by Nicolette Fraillon who seemed more theatrical, precise and emphatic in her gestures. There was a camera in the orchestra pit. Was her performance also to be filmed?
Some of the dancers appeared out of time on occasions, or, the choreography grated and did not lend itself to the music. At times the choreography did not flow with the music and reminded me of poor synchronisation as in a dubbed Sunday afternoon "Epic Theatre" film.
The pas de deux with Madeleine Eastoe and Kevin Jackson was sublime. He is a powerful man and supports her to showcase her ethereal qualities. He has such beautiful ballon and appears to float in the air. He is such a masculine dancer and makes Madeleine shine, shimmer and glow with his assured partnering.
Over the years, I have seen this production three times and it still bothers me that during the final transition to the main set, that the two red chairs are missing. I understand that they will get in the way for the final curtain calls, but they could quickly be whipped off-stage by some able stage hands. This is a minor annoyance that reeks of continuity errors in your favourite movie.
Having seen this production of "The Nutcracker" three times now, the characters have become more defined, but the production needs to overcome some technical issues that I have not seen in prior productions.
