Mikko
Nissinen’s The Nutcracker World
Premiered in 2012 and is back again this year performed by the Boston Ballet
Company, Boston Ballet II, and Boston Ballet School Students with approximately
150 dancers involved in each performance. Mikko Nissinen’s production is based
on the libretto by Alexandre Dumas père, titled The Tale of the Nutcracker, which is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s
story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
Set in Germany in the early 1800s, The
Nutcracker, is a story of a young girl named Clara, her family’s Christmas
Eve party, and the adventure she has when her nutcracker doll comes to life.
Conductor
Beatrice Jona Affron masterfully led the orchestra through the delightfully
familiar music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The set and costumes were exquisitely
designed by Robert Perdziola and were pleasantly complimented by the lighting,
designed by Mikki Kunttu. The detailed sets were all painted by hand and roughly
three hundred and fifty costumes were made for this production to accommodate multiple
casts. One hundred and eighty-two of those costumes appear on stage in each
performance. Each was creatively designed to not only look stunning on stage,
but also be fully functional for the dancer wearing it. Meticulously crafted,
many costumes feature hand painted patterns and hundreds of jewels.
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| Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet |
The prologue features Drosselmeier, expressively portrayed by Eris Nezha, putting on
a Children’s Theatre performance in the town square. Minutes later the curtain
opens to further to reveal the Silberhaus’ home and the Christmas Eve party they
are hosting for family and friends. The interactions between siblings Clara (Delia
Wada-Gill) and Fritz (Kao Chun) were nicely acted. They and the other children
in the party scene were energetic, engaged in the story they were sharing, and
demonstrated clean technique. There were a few instances however, where their
smiles were not realistic and looked forced as if they were trying really hard
to continue smiling throughout the scene. The adult characters, on the other
hand, all exhibited more natural and cheery expressions. Drosselmeier brings
larger-than-life toys to perform for the party guests and each was thoroughly
enjoyed by the audience. Both Harlequin (Irlan Silva) and the Ballerina Doll (Ji
Young Chae) were fantastic and their movements were spot on with the music. The
audience gasped when the Bear (Lawrence Rines) emerged from his gift box and he
quickly become one of their favorite characters.
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Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet
|
As
the Christmas tree grows and reveals the life size nutcracker, the amazed
audience applauds the wonder before them. It is truly one of the most magical
and stunning moments in the show. If the audience wasn’t engaged in the
performance before that point, they certainly were now. Overall, the battle scene
between the Mouse King, mice, baby mice and the Nutcracker Prince, soldiers,
bunny and gingerbread man is amusing and action packed; though it is hard to focus
on any particular part because so much is going on at once. The mice sneaking
treats was adorable and the small gingerbread man being nibbled on by the baby mice
and being saved by the bunny was a very cute interaction receiving chuckles and
awes from the audience.
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| Seo Hye Han and Paul Craig as Snow Queen and King in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet |
Act
one ends with the elegant and enchanting snow scene. The snow sparkled as it
fell to the stage and little reindeer pulling a carriage carrying the Snow
Queen and King appeared. The Snow Queen was beautifully danced by Seo Hye Han,
who was partnered by Paul Craig as the Snow King. Their Pas de Deux was exquisitely
magical. Their expressions were blissful and their dancing divine. The
snowflakes, as a whole, all had sweet smiles on their faces as they gracefully
floated across the stage. They danced completely in sync and were a spectacular
end to act one.
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| Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet |
Act
two opens in the clouds of the Nutcracker Prince’s Kingdom. The Nutcracker
Prince, played by Patrick Yocum, and Clara float into the Kingdom on a cloud
and are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and many members of the royal court.
The Nutcracker Prince shares with them how Clara aided him in defeating the
Mouse King and a special performance ensues to show Clara their gratitude. The
first performance is an upbeat Spanish routine danced by Emily Entingh, Kathryn
McDonald, Alexander Maryianowski, and Desean Taber. Next is an Arabian number
that was supremely danced by Lia Cirio and Lasha Khozashvili. His entrance was
incredibly strong and he continued to demonstrate his strength and power in his
partner work with Cirio. In one moment they were flying through the air, in the
next he was lifting her overhead as she extended her limbs into various
positions. Cirio demonstrated exceptional flexibility, control and fluidity
throughout. Their performance was easily a favorite of the night.
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| Lia Cirio & Lasha Khozashvili of Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet |
The
Chinese number was led by Ji Young Chae and Irlan Silva who nicely executed
each jump and turn all while maintaining pleasant expressions. The highlight of
Pastorale were the lovable bouncing little sheep who received an audible “awe”
upon their entrance. While the trio of Florimond Lorieux, Diana Albrecht, and
Maria Alvarez danced wonderfully, these sheep stole the scene for sure. Next up
was Mother Ginger (Marcus Romeo) and her children who were an instant crowd
pleaser. Romeo was fantastic with expressive facials and great character
choices. The exuberant
Russian routine led by Isaac Akiba with Mamuka Kikalishvili and Lawrence Rines was
bursting with energy and power from start to finish. They consistently soared
across the stage with numerous and fast jumps and turns. Akiba, a Boston
native, was confident as he strongly executed a turning combination that got
the audience cheering. By the end the audience broke out into thunderous applause
for this powerful trio making it clear this was another of their favorites.
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| Boston Ballet's (L to R, foreground) Lawrence Rines, Isaac Akiba, and Mamuka Kikalishvili in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet |
The
gorgeous Waltz of the Flowers followed, led by Lead Flowers Lauren Herfindahl and
Addie Tapp and the always graceful Ashely Ellis as the Dew Drop. The trio was lovely
together and when joined by the other flowers it was easy to be enrapt in their
performance. Their grande développé’s towards the end of the routine were high
and executed in perfect unison. Ellis as the Dew Drop was dazzling and not just
because of the sparkles in her costume. Her joyful facial expression and the way
she glided around the stage with ease made it clear that she truly enjoys
dancing and sharing this magical story with the audience.
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| Ashley Ellis as Dew Drop (in center) and Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet |
The
Grand Pas de Deux featured Misa Kuranaga as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Patrick
Yocum as the Nutcracker Prince. They maintained great eye contact and moved
together with perfect musicality. They were graceful with exquisite extensions
and impeccably timed lifts. Yocum’s solo was strongly executed with sharp, clean
lines and jumps that ascended off the floor. Kuranaga’s solo was flawless. Her footwork
was precise and delicately executed. She maintained supreme balance and control
and her turns were quick and clean, moving around the stage effortlessly. Their
Pas de Deux was breathtaking and received roaring applause. The audience
clearly loved this pair.
The
finale was energetic and brought all the characters bursting back onto the
stage including the strong Arabians with perfect double attitude jumps, the
powerful Russian trio and the beautiful Dew Drop and Flowers. Overall, this
performance was a glittering, majestic production full of holiday magic. This
family-friendly holiday masterpiece is not to be missed and will certainly give
you memories that will last for years to come. © Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker performs all 43
performances at the Boston Opera House (539 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111) from
November 25th through December 31st. Tickets and more
information can be found at www.bostonballet.org
or by calling the Box Office at 617-695-6955.
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