Leeds Grand Theatre – until 7 January 2023
Reviewed by Sal E Richmond
5*****
The whole production of David Nixon’s The Nutcracker over flowed with pure unfettered joy at the Leeds Grand Theatre last night. It was the most beautiful and mesmerising piece of performing art that I have personally seen in a longtime. Every step, note and jewelled coloured sparkle created a sensory festive feast that was simply magical. Without question, the ballet was world-class, in fact out-of-this-world-class being layered with spell-binding beauty, slick comedy, mystery and a continuous effervescent energy that kept one captivated during every second of this magnificent performance.
During a spectacular Christmas party hosted by the Edwards family and where the dancing was performed with pin-sharp choreography by cast members of all ages, the young Clara (Rachael Gillespie) is gifted a Nutcracker by her mysterious uncle Herr Drosselmeyer (the extremely talented Gavin McCraig). That night, Clara is unable to sleep and when she goes downstairs where she enters into another realm and The Nutcracker (now alive) enters into a battle led by the terrifying (and amusing) Mouse King (Bruno Serraclara). As the battle between armies of tin soldiers and mice unfolds much skill is used to portray humour and excitement. Finally, after being vanquished by The Nutcracker, the Mouse King is no longer and his slayer turns into a handsome young prince (Harris Beattie).
In Act II, Clara and the prince have been transported by Drosselmeyer to ‘A garden of delights’ where we are greeted by a whole host of alluring characters from far off lands, stories and ethereal worlds. The costumes and set were exquisite and each and every dance sequence awe-inspiring. I felt like all my Christmases from years gone by as a child and ones I’d secretly imagined had all come together at once on that stage! I think like me, every audience member had their heart stocking-filled with jubilation and joy!
We were all entranced by the life-sized puppet dolls (Sena Kitano, Archie Sherman and Antoni Canellas Artigues), captivated by Arabian performers (Dominique Larose, Harry Skoupas and Andrew Tomlinson) and dazzled by the athleticism and seamless moves of the Russian (Albert Gonzalez Orts, Jun Ishii and Matthew Topliss), Chinese (Antoni Canellas Artigues and George Liang), French (Sena Kitana, Kirica Takahashi and Archie Sherman) and Spanish (Kevin Poeung) dancers. They were breathtaking! Alongside the perfectly-timed harlequinade style catalogue of characters were – in total contrast – the delicate and gossamer gowned Snowflakes (Helen Bogatch, Gemma Coutts, Katherine Lee, Heather Lehan, Harriet Marden, Aerys Merrill, Alessia Petrosino and Kirica Takahashi) and gorgeously glowing and twinkling Flowers ( Helen Bogatch, Katherine Lee, Heather Lehan, Alessandra Bramante, Aerys Merrill, Kaho Masumoto, Julie Nunes and Aurora Mostacci). In my wildest dreams, I would love to be one of those radiant and stunning dancers – every arm bend, leg raise, twirl and step had grace, precision and wonder. Standout moments were aplenty in this Northern Ballet production where to be honest every moment could have been pointed out as being ‘standout’ but the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Saeka Shirai) and her Cavalier (Jonathan Hanks) left one lost for words with their phenomenal performances. It was something I – and I’m sure the rest of the audience – won’t ever forget as perfection oscillated before our very eyes with a rapturous applause by the whole theatre to follow. The other couple who danced in perfect harmony were Clara and the Prince. These two put the innocence back into young romance, which was heart-warming, moving and emotional . Harris Beattie showed such strength and skill for such a young dancer and he also had the perfect characteristics of a handsome young prince in how he looked at and bestowed respect and love for the adorable Clara. Rachael Gillespie also epitomised the character of a young girl meeting her first love by displaying grace and purity in her every move, look and gesture.
Northern Ballet Sinfonia Conductor, Jonathan Lo and Northern Ballet Sinfonia Leader, Gordan Bragg must be given kudos of the highest acclaim for bringing Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score, The Nutcracker, alive for us and needless to say it was utterly brilliant. Charles Cusick Smith’s set design with lighting by Mark Jonathan and costume design assistant Christopher Dudgeon, like Uncle Drosselmeyer, had obviously weaved their magic too in producing work to the highest standard with their talented teams to make this whole production the most wonderful Christmas ballet I think Leeds will have ever seen.
As the classic pop tune goes, “I wish it could be Christmas everyday” – I think I would like to change that to “I wish I could see The Nutcracker every year!” because it’s brought Christmas back for me, in my heart. If you’re tired of a Christmas that’s filled with excessive stuff, neon flashing lights and inflatable snowmen and want to experience beauty, magic, innocence and joy then I guarantee that the Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker will deliver this for you – it’s perfect!