Nuñez takes the plum role just in time – Sunday Times on the Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker
How many Nutcrackers has The Sunday Times’ David Dougill seen? Thousands certainly. But he still finds an evening at the Royal Ballet‘s version “uplifting stuff”:
Wright’s focal story is full of humanity: the love of young Clara for her Nutcracker. Iohna Loots and Ricardo Cervera are favourites in these roles, she so charming, eager and wonderstruck, he ardent, solicitous and heart-throb romantic.
We don’t meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince until Act II, and, just before this began, on opening night, we learnt of a crisis — Sarah Lamb taken ill. Luckily, Marianela Nuñez, having arrived to spectate, was substituted to star alongside her husband, Thiago Soares. They are, of course, reliably familiar with each other. He danced with nobility and bravura, and she is Sugar Plum par excellence, alluringly sweet, gracious and, technically, grandly assured.
via The Sunday Times
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
