One of the most charming and winning productions of The Nutcracker seen in Italy during the last fifty years, was created for the relatively small company AterBalletto. The company is now known as a contemporary group (it was transformed as such by former Artistic Director Mauro Bigonzetti, whose works dominated its programming from 1997); however, from its beginnings in the late ‘70s, when it was led by Amedeo Amodio, the company had a classical outlook.
Amodio created his Nutcracker in 1989, collaborating with the extraordinarily original designer Emanuele Luzzati. Elisabetta Terabust and Vladimir Derevianko were the production's first Clara and Prince.
Here, the extraordinary events of The Nutcracker are not the products of a magic spell, but of a child's vivid imagination, where borders between reality and dreams are often blurred, and creativity is given full reign in this world of play. The production uses shadow puppetry to great effect, where a small child's toy can easily grow into a gigantic and frightening creature.
Teatro Massimo in Palermo took The Nutcracker out of mothballs three years ago for Christmas 2013, and Rome Opera Ballet for 2014, though it has become something of a classic and over the years and has never been forgotten. Now Daniele Cipriani Entertainment is taking it on the road, just as Aterballeto did during the 1980s. A long tour from 29 October until 15 January 2017 will take in many major Italian cities, from Bari in the south to Trieste in the north.
Alternating casts will see New York City Ballet's Ashley Bouder, Rome Opera Ballet's Rebecca Bianchi and Anbeta Toromani, together with Andrew Veyette (NYCB), Vito Mazzeo (Dutch National Ballet), Alessandro Macario (Naples' Teatro San Carlo) and Alessio Rezza (ROB).
Cipriani, not content with touring one Amodio/Luzzati ballet, has also chosen to produce their 1995 Coppélia which can be seen from 8 January until 18 February. Luisa Spinatelli designed the costumes.
The ballet takes place on a film set where scenes for the movie ‘Coppélia' are being rehearsed. Clara (yes, two ballets, one name!) is the actress, but the leading man only has eyes for Olympia, a woman-robot. Coppelius, the film's director, has other automatons including Dracula, Frankenstein and Chaplin. There are also nods to Ginger and Fred, Gary Cooper and Marlon Brando along the way to a tragic ending.
Cipriani writes,
I'm happy when dreams become reality. I couldn't bear the idea of such an important production as Amedeo Amodio and Emanuele Luzzati's The Nutcracker being in Aterballetto's storage for so many years, destined to be eventually lost. So I had the courage to buy it, along with some of the company's other important productions, including the Coppélia, which I've had restored so that they may live again. They form part of the history of ballet in Italy.
THE NUTCRACKER and COPPÉLIA TOUR
29-30 ottobre 2016
THE NUTCRACKER preview
TEATRO MORLACCHI, PERUGIA
Anbeta Toromani e Alessandro Macario
6 November 2016
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO COMUNALE LUCIANO PAVAROTTI, MODENA
Rebecca Bianchi and Alessio Rezza
22, 23, 24 November 2016
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO PETRUZZELLI, BARI
Anbeta Toromani and Vito Mazzeo (22, 23 eve, 24 eve)
Rebecca Bianchi and Alessio Rezza (23 mat, 24 mat)
2, 3, 4 December 2016
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO ARCIMBOLDI, MILAN
Ashley Bouder and Alessandro Macario (2, 3)
Rebecca Bianchi and Alessio Rezza (4)
14, 15, 16, 17, 18 December 2016
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO VERDI, TRIESTE
Ashley Bouder and Andrew Veyette (14, 15, 16, 17 eve)
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario (17 mat, 18)
20 December 2016
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO EUROPA AUDITORIUM, BOLOGNA
Ashley Bouder and Alessandro Macario
22 December 2016 (2 perfs)
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO VERDI, FLORANCE
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario
28 December 2016
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO DELLE MUSE, ANCONA
Cast to be announced
4 January 2017
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO ROMOLO VALLI DI REGGIO EMILIA
Anbeta Toromani and Vito Mazzeo
8 January 2017
COPPÉLIA
TEATRO GIOVANNI, UDINE
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario
10 January 2017
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO VERDI, PORDENONE
Anbeta Toromani and Vito Mazzeo
14, 15 January 2017
THE NUTCRACKER
TEATRO DANTE ALIGHIERI, RAVENNA
Anbeta Toromani and Vito Mazzeo
20 January 2017
COPPÉLIA
TEATRO COMUNALE, CARPI
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario
22 January 2017
COPPÉLIA
TEATRO MUNICIPALE, PIACENZA
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario
3 February 2017
COPPÉLIA
TEATRO FRASCHINI, PAVIA
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario
16 February 2017
COPPÉLIA
TEATRO DUSE, BOLOGNA
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario
18 February 2017
COPPÉLIA
TEATRO COMUNALE, GORIZIA
Anbeta Toromani and Alessandro Macario
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
Both productions look ravishing! I only wish I could be there…
Thank you for this great article.