[Review] It’s the most wonderful time of the year… ENB’s Nutcracker

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… which means only one thing – The Nutcracker!

The UK went Nutz pretty early in 2023, with Drew McOnie’s alternative version at the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club from October 28th at the Royal Festival Hall, Birmingham Royal Ballet opening on November 17th, English National Ballet from November 29th, the Royal Ballet from December 6th, and Scottish Ballet’s unconventional offering; a gender role questioning Cinderella called Cinders! from December 9th.

The productions at BRB, ENB and the RB all come under the traditional umbrella, and whilst some are indeed magical, they can often feel on the inevitable side.

Productions that are performed regularly are a double-edged sword – they allow for a familiarity which sees the company very at ease in performance, but one could also argue that the whole experience therefore exudes predictability. It’s of course wonderful to see performers executing work that is precise and embodied, but should live theatre be formulaic? Do we want to see the same artists technically doing the same show year after year?

How to deal with this quandary… look for inspiration within the work I’d proffer.

Anyone involved with a Nutcracker hopefully saw the Studio 5: New York City Ballet at 75 | George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker^® – New York City Center session livestreamed on December 4th.

The event primarily analysed the choreographic relationship between the original 1892 Lev Ivanov Grand pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier with Balanchine’s 1954 version, and additionally included insightful knowledge offered by the moderator Alastair Macaulay and esteemed panel – Suki Schorer (who coached the performers in both versions), Sara Mearns, Jonathan Stafford, and Wendy Whelan – and stunning performances by dancers Chun Wai Chan, Ashley Hod Veyette, Anthony Huxley, Emma Von Enck and pianist Elaine Chelton.

What I took away most from the experience was the freshness of the dancing within the Balanchine choreography. Is this all due to his creativity and movement phrasing? One assumes it plays a huge part, but of course the way it’s actually executed (in 2023) is what allows a present-day audience to feel a sense of urgency in the 69-year-old production.

Watching Schorer coach, one immediately understands she has no interest in observing work she’s already seen. Respect the choreographic score? Absolutely. But bring something to the moment; in the moment. Explore what the choreography allows for, and subsequently what individual dancers can do with it.

So I found myself at the opening night of English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum with renewed inspiration, but also preexisting reservations relating to the Wayne Eagling 2010 production. You can find all of my concerns discussed in last year’s review here, therefore I’ll try not to repeat myself, as I’d rather focus on what 2023’s dancers are bringing to the historical, and hopefully zeitgeist equation.

Elements of Act One look better than they have. The Party scene has a richness now that’s been lacking, though some of the stagecraft is still on the basic side. I also wish they’d dress the first wing, as its bareness feels so apparent in the barn that the Coliseum is. Fabian Reimar is a tasteful Drosselmeyer throughout, holding things together with apparent ease, and James Streeter as the Mouse King understands the exact amount of movement such a get-up needs to communicate the character without overdoing things.

The Battle, however, is the same scrappy affair, and the Nutcracker’s castle made some terrible snapping sounds mid-transformation. The choreography throughout doesn’t help matters either, feeling random and unmusical at the best of times.

Sangeun Lee as Clara and Gareth Haw as the Nephew are a handsome couple indeed. Haw is colossal in the best possible sense, all chivalry and shyness in the beginning, and though Lee’s Clara may be afraid at times, she isn’t going anywhere without a battle which bodes well for Act Two.

Things finish positively with Eagling’s version of Snowflakes, pulling heavily from the current Mariinsky production (Ivanov, Kirill Siminov [2001]) it veers towards aggressive physicality to conjure the desired environment; think more blizzard than delicate snowfall – and it works. The Corps improved as the number progressed, but even still, some of the port de bras need more finish in line – an additional icicle element is lacking.

Act Two opens weakly, causing one to long for some worthwhile mime rather than endless empty dancing about nothing, and the Eagling divertissement follow a similar vein sadly: Spanish feeling more like a wrestling competition; Arabian, poorly lit porridge; Chinese, mostly about a stick prop and fouettés; and Russian, a mix of Trepak and Orthodox floating with Erik Woolhouse stealing the show with unapologetic bravado. Mirlitons is danced by Louise (Clara’s sister, featured in Act One), and I remember a butterfly at some point… and wasn’t there a net? That’s long gone, and all that remains is a piece of drapey material across the shoulders confusing things, and the world’s most hectically relentless pirouette-focused solo (admirably executed by Julia Conway), but what’s it all about… and where’s the repose?

Waltz of the Flowers is a very busy number choreographically (like everything else!) and can go horribly wrong all too easily, but the dancers look sharp and very well rehearsed until the last chord, so bravo.

And to the Grand pas de deux, where Lee and Haw offer an original, exciting take on this version as we know it. They’re both quite fearless in a majestic, regal kind of way, but I presume they won’t be satisfied with the pas execution on opening night. It was a little too rough around the edges to qualify as purely exhilarating, but one can only imagine where they’ll take it by their last performance.

Haw danced his solo and coda with both ease and command but needs to elevate his stage presence during the non-dancing interludes, as it felt like it dropped a handful of times.

I really enjoyed Lee’s solo. Her dancing has a simplicity in action, which allows one to really see what she’s doing. And for such a tall dancer she moves with speed and crystalline footwork, as well as having a beautifully expressive upper body and head throughout.

The show comes down at 9.30pm sharp which is always a good thing in my book, but I feel ENB and the current crop of capable dancers deserve a better Nutcracker to get their teeth into. Ideally a version that understands the value of choreographic phrasing with light and shade, rather than movement soup with added ingredients year after year. Festive gluttony indeed.

Note: two aspects of performance to consider. Dancers need to stay aware of their shoulder line, as some keep rising spoiling the neckline and port de bras, and at times mouths are being overused, both dramatically and in relation to dynamic emphasis. I appreciate this can be a subconscious habit but needs mentioning as it pulls focus in the wrong way.

Matthew Paluch Guest Author

Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.

Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma in 2007, and was formerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011, has been a freelance writer since 2010 and currently works in the Law Sector.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.