English National Ballet's 'The Nutcracker'

They say that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without The Nutcracker. Well if English National Ballet’s production of the festive classic is anything to go by, I think that a Nutcracker free Christmas sounds pretty good. I hadn’t seen Wayne Eagling’s production for many years and upon watching again I realised why. There is little magic or sparkle in this version and everything from the curtain design to the Arabian whip dance seems tired and a little past its sell by date. I used to relish seeing ENB’s Nutcracker when they would perform Chris Hampson’s version with its kitsch designs and clever narrative but once his was put to bed, along with Derek Deane’s fabulous try at it, we were left with Eagling’s attempt. One of my main issues with this production is the confusing narrative. One of the joys of this ballet is that the music pretty much tells you what’s going on, but Eagling plays with the story so much that we are left wondering what is actually happening. We first see Clara as a child, who has a crush on Drosselmeyer’s nephew. She falls asleep and then suddenly appears as a young woman who seems to fall in love with the Nutcracker. He gets injured in battle, and changes into the Nephew (I guess Clara doesn’t want an injured man in her Christmas fantasy dream) only to then be changed back into the Nutcracker. Clara then turns into the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Nephew becomes her Prince and when it’s all over (praise the lord) she awakes as a child. The whole thing is pretty Freudian and by the end I felt like I needed an aspirin to soothe my confused head. Another problem with this production is that it’s quite slow. I love the idea of the ice skaters in the opening sequence, but it lasts too long and slows it all down. The transformation scene is slow and a little awkward. The music builds to an epic climax but the tree, with its bizarre green spotlights, slowly rises to reach a pretty underwhelming height and finish. The mouse battle is also slow and I don’t think even the children around me were particularly excited or on the edge of their seats.

As a production, this isn’t for me. But as a company, there was some really fine dancing on stage. Firstly it’s important to mention Sophie Carter, who played Young Clara and danced a solo completely on her own on the stage. Not a single sign of nerves was on display, which I applaud for someone so young. I also have to mention Alison McWhinney who is fast becoming a favourite of mine at English National Ballet. She’s so tall and beautiful and I thought she acted the part of the flighty sister very well. Precious Adams and Tiffany Hedman also stood out as the leads in the Waltz of the Flowers and James Streeter, as usual, was magnificent as the Mouse King. I must also mention what a pleasure it was to see Rhys Antoni Yeomans who I first noticed at the BBC Young Dancer awards. I’m glad to see him dancing in London with ENB and look forward to seeing how his career will progress. Ken Saruhashi was dynamite in the Russian dance and deservedly brought the house down. The night though belonged to Rina Kanehara and Jeffrey Cirio. I don’t think they are a natural partnership but they danced well together. I thought their pas de deux was dreamy and I really enjoyed watching it. I think they danced with precision and authority and looked regal and elegant on stage. It’s a big deal to have been given opening night and I think they did a really wonderful job. Kanehara danced every step perfectly and proved herself as a classical gem within the company. Cirio is lovely to watch, but I preferred his variation and solo dancing than his partnering.

I think that the quality of dancing and the company’s talent was really at odds with the production. It was made way before Tamara Rojo took over and she has changed English National Ballet and brought them into a new sphere. They need a new production that can accommodate their improvement and show off their virtuoso abilities. Take the Spanish Dance for example. Daniel McCormick is such a dreamy talent and is looking like one of the company’s bright young stars. The choreography looked too easy for him and I felt that in quite a few moments during the ballet. Rojo needs to commission a new Nutcracker that will be in the repertoire for many years to come. Something that will make the company stand out and show off the wonderful technical ability of her dancers. We have a traditional version at the Royal and at Birmingham Royal Ballet, but we are in dire need of something fresh and new. I’ve always thought a 1950s version with its glamour and style could be beautiful and stylish. Whatever it may be, I think it needs to happen. Everything Rojo has commissioned has been a success and I’m sure the same would be said about a new Nutcracker. This is a strong company with a wonderful array of talent and it’s time that this production is put in the pine shredder along with the thrown out Christmas trees in the New Year.

*Thank you to Alice Gibson and Laura Nixon at English National Ballet