Hackney Empire, London – 5 November 2025
Reviewed by Phil Brown
5*****
One of the most beautiful theatres in London, if not the UK, the exotically decorated Hackney Empire makes a perfect match for one of ballet’s most exotic and thrilling creations – Nutcracker in Havana, brilliantly conceived and wonderfully choreographed by the global superstar of ballet’s modern era, Carlos Acosta.
The traditional Nutcracker ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s music, is a retelling of the Alexandre Dumas 1844 short story about a young girl Clara, who receives a nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. That night, the doll comes to life, there is a battle with a Mouse King, and the doll morphs into a human Prince who leads Clara on a magical journey to the fantastical Land of Sweets where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy.
The Nutcracker has long been a popular Christmas entertainment but now has to recognise a serious rival for its position as the seasonal ballet of choice, in Nutcracker in Havana.
With the formation of his Cuban dance company, Acosta Danza, it seems entirely logical to look at transforming classic ballets into works that resonate more with Cuban history, customs and culture, and Nutcracker in Havana is the joyous, stunning result. The traditional Nutcracker seems staid in contrast to the vibrancy of Nutcracker in Havana. Kudos to Valid Productions and Stephen Crocker of Norwich Theatre for co-producing a future classic.
Acosta’s programme notes are fascinating. With Castro taking power in 1959, the idea of Christmas was effectively banned in Cuba until the 90s and you wonder if this was an additional factor in inspiring Acosta to create this wonderful full length ballet in two sumptuous acts – a form of celebratory release from state constraints.
Cuban influences and references abound – many (most?) drawn from Acosta’s own experiences growing up in Havana. They are skilfully woven into every aspect of the performance, particularly the innovative instrumentation and beautiful arrangement of the original music (Pepe Gavilondo Peon and Yasel Munoz – composers and arrangers), and the breathtaking variety and athleticism of the dance. The eye for detail and degree of creativity embodied in this production is exquisite. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine anyone with sufficient sensory bandwidth to process it all in one viewing. Several are surely required to absorb the richness of such a monumental work.
Aside from the remarkable music and dance, the other creatives have brought their ‘A’ game to this production. Costumery (Angelo Alberto) is a brilliantly lavish spectacle in its own right. Stage sets and video projection (Nina Dunn) really work a treat and skilful lighting (Andrew Exeter) creates a genuinely magical atmosphere. I’m usually not a fan of ballet without live music, but the recording and sound (Declan Matwij) is excellent.
The traditional story line remains intact except the nutcracker doll is now a Mambi soldier (Cuban Liberation Army), and the mice become (pointedly?) rats who do battle with the heroic soldiers of independence (the Mambises).
Act 1 has four main scenes – the family party, post party transformation, the battle and the snow. It carries most of the story line up to the departure for the Kingdom of Sweets. The opening scene, full of visual humour and boisterous warmth is set in a humble wooden shack with a palm thatched roof in the place of a grand Victorian house. The tiny Christmas tree is decorated with empty drinks cans. We see a large playful family gathered to celebrate Christmas and to receive the visit of the enigmatic uncle (Tio) Elias Drosselmeyer (marvellously played by Alexander Varona) returning to Cuba after many years away in Miami honing his craft as a magician. He arrives in what appears to be a motorcycle and sidecar but the programme mentions a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette. I guess the constraints of the Hackney Empire played a part in this, but it seems that motorbike sidecar combos are indeed popular in Cuba.
He brings gifts. Along with three life size dolls, two of which represent Yoruba gods and the third a Tin Soldier, Tio brings a small Nutcracker doll for his favourite niece Clara (superbly danced by Adria Diaz with buckets of charm and innocent wonder). He also brings wooden chancleta clogs traditionally used for dance in Carnival events and they are put to good effect in both acts with some energetic ensemble routines echoing the Latin beat of the music. Tio magically transforms the family party into a much more opulent affair in a splendid hall, with enormous tree and fine costumes. He remains a looming string pulling presence throughout the ballet.
Dancing around a maypole is a Caribbean tradition that stretches back to the time of European plantations and there is a maypole scene in each act embodying the high spirits, verve and glorious explosion of colour that come with Carnival. Once the guests have left the family gathering, Clara checks on her doll which transforms into the Mambi captain. In a well choreographed battle scene, Clarahelps to vanquish the rats, the captain transforms into a handsome Prince (played regally by Alejandro Silva) and then whisks her via the Waltz of Snowflakes away to the Kingdom of Sweets.
Where the focus of Act 1 is more on the story-telling, the focus of Act 2 is on the dazzling sequence of set piece dances – Divertissement, Waltz of the Flowers, and the famous Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy plus more chancleta dancing. These are bookended by the arrival of Clara and the Prince in the Kingdom of Sweets and their subsequent farewell, and are performed to fabulous musical arrangements. It is an exhilarating piece of theatre from first to last. And the audience response went up a notch or two if such a thing is possible for this show. It’s also where the Cuban influences on the music seemed most noticeable (in a good way).
Of the set-pieces, Divertissement is probably the most striking segment – a series of gorgeous pas de deux routines representing different treats and nationalities – the flamenco flavoured Spanish Dance, the haunting Arabian Dance, the Dance of the Mirlitons (Reed Flutes), the martial arts inspired Chinese Dance, and the Cossack themed Russian Dance.
Even with Cuba more evident in the content, Act 2 is structured in a more conventional way than Act 1 and seems more coherent for it. Overall though, a spellbinding and highly accomplished must-see production that I hope will become a Christmas institution.
To sum up Nutcracker in Havana in a nutshell – pure magic and an artistic triumph.