Arts > Theatre

The Nutcracker Northern Ballet

Norwich Theatre Royal

23/11/18

Northern Ballet are a tour de force in the dancing world - a powerful mix of tradition and modern which marry perfectly. This performance of The Nutcracker portrayed this perfectly. The costumes were breathtaking, especially those of the snowflakes, and the tutus sparkled brilliantly, covered in Swarovski crystals. The live orchestra, playing Tchaikovsky’s score played all the bangers with great aplomb, from the Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy to the one I can only think of as Everyone’s A Fruit And Nutcase. You know the one. There were splashes of humour including King Rat flossing (the dance not the dental kind). The child dancers of both gender were absolutely professional and adorable, some local from Wymondham who had clearly practised hard and managed to perform in front of a huge audience with no visible nerves at all.

This ballet is a bit of an odd one - traditionally a dark and spooky magic story, inhabited by a terrifying uncle and a troupe of aggressive rats, this version was much lighter, with everyone wreathed in smiles throughout and the dancing delicate and elegant. Although the first half is very much plot driven, the second is another kettles of fish, a collection of dance vignettes in different styles, from Cossack dancing to Middle Eastern. I loved all the set pieces, and all the dances - I only felt that the transition between scenes and dances was not always clear or logical...perhaps a better set for the garden would have greater more of an atmosphere in the second half. Apart from a couple of very small slips, the dancers were spot on throughout.

This was a great performance by all, an absolute classic just in time for Christmas.