The Nutcracker, English National Ballet
Emma Hawes as Sugar Plum Fairy and Aitor Arrieta as Sugar Plum Cavalier in English National Ballet's Nutcracker by Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith © Johan Persson
Arielle Smith has had quite the 2024.
Since September alone three works of hers have been performed in London: Five Dances as part of Resurgence by London City Ballet, Luna by Birmingham Royal Ballet and now The Nutcracker by English National Ballet. This final production, co-choreographed with the company’s Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin, is arguably her most high profile to date — the opportunity to work on the hottest dance ticket of the festive season.
So how did they do?
Well…
I’m sorry to say that this is a case of ‘so close I can almost taste it’.
There is a huge amount to like about ENB’s new Nutcracker. It bursts with magic thanks to a stellar creative team (Costume and Set Design, Dick Bird; Lighting Design, Paul Pyant; Video Design, Leo Flint; Illusion Designer and Director, John Bulleid), so much so that it was able to put me back in the festive spirit despite catching it two days before the end of the run on 10 January. Lighting effects and illusions were used to great effect to bring the story alive, with projections of rats crawling the walls of Clara’s home and growing bigger and bigger as Clara shrunk into her dream world — a particularly memorable moment.
Emily Suzuki, Skyler Martin and Vsevolod Maievskyi as Sahlab in Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith's Nutcracker © Photography by ASH
The sets too are incredible. It was a shame that a scene of Edwardian central London was used so briefly, so beautiful as it was, while the huts for the various sweets was a brilliant piece of narrative guidance, used as we are in the UK to more literal takes on the national dances (in this production we are treated to dances inspired by the sweet treats of various countries — a brilliant move). The costumes are equally gorgeous. I loved the Sahlab dance (an Egyptian hot drink, replacing the Arabian dance) especially for the spirals of fabric worn off of each arm to invoke the state of whipped cream. There were some missteps however. I’m not sure why Clara’s carriage featured a seahorse of all things, nor why Drosselmeyer’s minions were impish beasts.
However, design is just a third of what goes into a piece of dance. Obviously the music was fantastic, it’s a Tchaikovsky classic, but the choreography? I was left wanting more.
Ivana Bueno as Clara and Francesco Gabriele Frola as Nutcracker Prince in English National Ballet's Nutcracker by Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith © Johan Persson
It should be hard to go wrong with a Nutcracker. You have Petipa’s original steps, tried and tested over 100 years, to base your creation on. However, there were fleeting moments in the first act where the dancing was jarringly contemporary. Young Clara, for example, had a solo with overacted walks and pointed elbows. However, it was Drosselmeyer who really got the brunt of this style. His steps tended on the side of cartoonish, which aided in the creation of a ‘mad inventor’ character, but, again, felt overly done and out of place with the wider classical tone.
More broadly, I found the choreography to not feel the music as deeply as it could have. The show-stopping snow scene that closes Act 1 took a long time to get going, required a lot more dancers to fill the swelling music, and lacked the patterns this scene is known for. Equally, some of the staple steps of the iconic Sugar Plum solo were replaced with moves that didn’t always feel at one with the score (one moment where she caresses her arms felt incredibly random).
Am I outing myself as a ballet traditionalist snob? Maybe. But then again, there are expectations around big classical works, because of how beloved they are.
Let’s not get it twisted though. This is a strong Nutcracker and one I would happily return to see again. It has magic in abundance which will warm the cockles of even the toughest Scrooge (or person with a seasonal lurgy - my apologies to those around me for my additional percussion). And really, for a very silly story about a young girl infatuated with a toy soldier that cracks nuts, who can ask for anything more?
★★★★
The Nutcracker by Arielle Smith and Aaron S. Watkins, performed by English National Ballet
London Coliseum / 10 January 2025
Ticket purchased with my own money
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