Though attending Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" is a holiday season tradition for ballet naifs and connoisseurs alike, each viewer interacts uniquely with this timeless piece. The magic of "The Nutcracker" cannot be solely attributed to the beautiful dances or the jovial musical score. The true enchantment lies in the experience as a whole.
The Daily sent Marie Perrot to document her own experience at this year's production of "The Nutcracker" at the Boston Ballet. Additional commentary on the ballet has been provided by Martha Shanahan. This article assesses the cast for the night of Dec. 5; the cast for "The Nutcracker" changes frequently, so a viewer may see an entirely different cast.
I remember being introduced to "The Nutcracker" in the second grade, when my teacher brought a strange-looking, oversized doll into class. I didn't understand the hype over this grotesque statuette — its bizarre demeanor was not even excused by its practicality as I tried and failed miserably at cracking a series of nuts.
So when my friends asked me earlier in the month to revisit my Nut noncracker at the Boston Ballet, I was a little hesitant, but decided to give the funny-looking character a second chance.
After braving a few minutes of the wintry New England wind, I would have been as thrilled to enter the Boston Opera House even if it was a shabby closet. But as the crowd hustled into the lobby, I was immediately captivated by the venue's sheer beauty. My reverence was interrupted by the spirited crowd: Dozens of little girls ran across the ornate premises, dressed in gowns and followed by their equally radiant mothers strutting behind them in their Jimmy Choos.
My amazement only increased upon entering the theater. From the gold-engraved scrolls and floral designs on the banisters to the swankily outfitted ushers, everything screamed "refinement." The ushers, however, did not seem to be quite as taken with me, as they motioned irritably every time I tried to whip out my camera to capture the grandeur of it all.
The music began, flawless and familiar, and lights projected onto the stage, illuminating the dancers as they made their entrances. Dressed in luminous velvet and satin costumes, they pas de bourred down the set, engaging effortlessly in pirouettes and midair splits.
The first act of the ballet, a lively and visually engaging Christmas party hosted by the picture-perfect fictional Silberhaus family, was delightfully presented. An elegant living room set framed dancing children, hobnobbing adult guests and, of course, the antics of the mysterious Uncle Drosselmeier.
Drosselmeier, danced that night by a charming Sabi Varga, brought dolls and life-sized furry teddy bears to life, frightened the younger guests and delivered Clara (Isabelle Hanson) the best-received present at the party: a small nutcracker shaped like a prince.
Drosselmeier then magically transformed the Victorian living room into the scene of an epic battle between the now life-sized Nutcracker and an army of mice. Interspersed with comic appeals to the adults in the audience, the battle was as gripping as possible given that pieces of cheese and foam balls were the weapons of choice. Young students of the Boston Ballet proved a synchronized set of soldiers, led in battle by Duncan Lyle as the Mouse King.
When Clara ends the scuffle by decisively throwing a shoe at the Mouse King's head, an enchanting and beautifully danced snow scene transitions the audience to the Land of the Sugar Plums and the second act.
With Clara and her ambiguously aged prince as an audience, the residents of the Land of the Sugar Plums put on a show worthy of kings. Adorable pint-sized lambs boureed at the feet of some cheerful shepherds. Rachel Cossar and Jamie Diaz meticulously executed the difficult choreography of the Arabian Coffee dance, which combines dance, acrobatics and skimpy outfits to make the show entertaining enough for the dads in the audience.
Perhaps the highlight of the second act was a trio of exuberant dancers in the Russian divertissement, whose flying jumps and dizzying turns exhibited the power and style of the male dancers among the Boston Ballet's ranks.
Together, the Sugar Plum Fairy (Lia Cirio) and her Cavalier (Lasha Khozashvili) topped off a thoroughly enjoyable second act. Clara and her prince set off for home in a hot-air balloon, leaving us contemplating whether what they just saw was real or simply in the mind of our heroine.
I left the theater with the urge to imitate the five-year-old girls in gowns, now choreographing their way down the stairs. Upon exiting, I caught a glimpse of the Nutcracker standing upright on the shelf of the Opera House gift shop, and had to resist the temptation of purchasing the futile contraption.
