Dance
The Nutcracker
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Mary Brennan
*****
I’m happy to report that No Rules have been broken at this Christmas party although occasionally, at some performances, there will be a twist on the usual guest list, with the magician Drosselmeyer portrayed by a female dancer. Well, as Scottish Ballet’s artistic director Christopher Hampson says ‘Why not?’ And so, when Madeleine Squire - in dramatic cape and long red gloves (very Rita Hayworth!) - swishes into view, there’s glamour rather than something sinister in the air. Nonetheless there’s no shortage of Drosselmeyer’s slick conjuring tricks to amaze and amuse.
This ongoing revival of the late Peter Darrell’s 1973 choreography stays heart-warmingly true to his focus on the child’s perceptions of the sumptuous party, with little Clara (Caoimhe Fisher) especially wide-eyed and watchful. Little wonder then, when midnight strikes and she comes looking for her newly acquired Nutcracker Doll, that sleepy Clara slips into a magical Dreamtime where her memories re-surface and are transformed into a fabulous, fantastical adventure.
Drosselmeyer returns, the Nutcracker Doll comes alive as a dashing Prince (Evan Loudon) who - after some pesky (but cute) wee mice are put to flight - carries Clara off to the Land of Ice and Snow where Grace Horler is the poised and elegant Queen.
Act Two - and the Land of Sweets offers treats for all tastes, from madcap Russian clowns to the subtly mysterious, lissome Arabian of Roseanna Leney and the jaunty, shipshape English (hornpipe) of Thomas Edwards.
Clearly the Sugar Plum Fairy (Marge Hendrick) is an inspiration to her realm, bringing an airy lightness and a purity of line to the role. Exquisite. And hurrah! for the orchestra conducted, with nuanced insights, by Jean-Claude Picard. Everyone dances their hearts out, but isn’t that always the rule with Scottish Ballet.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here