English National Ballet’s Nutcracker has been a Christmas tradition for generations since the company was founded (as London Festival Ballet) in 1950. A version by the company’s former artistic director Wayne Eagling has been in the repertoire since 2010. It has received modifications during the years, but recent reviews generally agreed that it was time to retire the production – the Gramilano review from the last outing in 2023 said, “…the current crop of capable dancers deserve a better Nutcracker to get their teeth into.”
It turns out that last December’s performances were to be its last, and at the end of this year ENB will put on a new production by the current artistic director Aaron S. Watkin and choreographer Arielle Smith who is a trustee at Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and a contemporary solos tutor at the Rambert School. It will be one of the high points of the company’s 75th Season.
Watkin said:
Nutcracker holds a special place in English National Ballet’s history and in the hearts of our audiences. The Company has performed a version of it every year since it was founded in 1950 and it is an honour to be working with Arielle and Dick to bring new magic and wonder to this much-loved ballet.
This new version of Nutcracker will feature costumes and sets by Dick Bird and lighting by Paul Pyant. English National Ballet Philharmonic will play under the baton of the company’s new music director, Maria Seletskaja.
Nutcracker will receive its world premiere at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre (28 – 30 November 2024) before performances at the London Coliseum (12 December 2024 – 12 January 2025).
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 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.