Boston Ballet's Nutcracker

My mother, sister and I took a trip into Boston, Massachusetts to see Boston Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker." I went in not completely sure of what to expect. Hopes are always set high for this holiday classic and Boston Ballet certainly rose to the occasion. This was the last time audiences would get to see these sets and costumes on stage as 2012 will bring a totally new design for the production. Magical is truly the best word to describe this performance.Bradley Schlagheck as Drosselmeier was the perfect mixture of mysterious, enchanting and even comical. The magic tricks he executed in the first act sent the audience into a stupor with his whirling handkerchiefs and effortless acts of flight. Sabrina Appleby as Clara was innocent, adorable and delivered a pleasantly believable performance throughout the show. As she danced among the party children in the first act I was struck by their flawlessly clean technique.
It's hardly an influential role and yet completely memorable. The "young man" in the who enters the stage upon the very opening of the show played by Isaac Akiba whipped out tours, a la seconde turns and jumps like there was no tomorrow. Although a small role, he did not go unnoticed by any of the audience members.
The dancing dolls, Harlequin danced by Lawrence Rines and Columbine danced by Adiarys Almeida (one of my personal favorite dancers), were simply stunning. Their mechanical movements transformed them into a believable character as one of Drosselmeier's creations. I had never seen so much done with the not necessarily prominent roles. It just goes to show that no matter how long or prestigious your role may be you can still make an impact on your audience.
The iconic dancing bear performed by Robert Kretz was a favorite among the crowd. As the giant fluffy, lovable character enters the stage shouts of "Mommy, look, it's a bear!" came from the mouths of little children throughout the auditorium. Kretz danced with appropriate energy and teddy-bearish mannerisms.
As the party scene came to a close and the famous "shrinking scene" began I was disappointed by the growing Christmas tree. The secrets behind it's sudden change of size were rather obvious but perhaps with the costume and scenery changes of 2012 the tree will receive and update. However, as the battle scene glided onto the stage I was struck by the magnificence of the scenery. The giant chairs with mice perched atop and vivid backdrops were truly captivating.
The Nutcracker/Cavalier performed by Pavel Gurevich bared the demanded regal, noble and yet humble essence of the Nutcracker Prince. His battle against the Mouse King, played splendidly entertainingly by Paul Craig, was the perfect mix of hilarity and suspense. The audience seemed to enjoy the comic relief,  much of which provided by the mice, of an otherwise intense scene.
In scene three, "The Enchanted Forest", the scenery of frosted pines was stunning and the special effects such as the falling snowflakes were executed fantastically cleanly. Many times in a performance a few stray snowflakes fall from the sky in the party scene or even in the middle of the Grand Pas De Deux which tends to spoil the illusion. It was nice to have the magic maintained.
The Snow King and Queen were danced by Whitney Jensen and James Whiteside. I couldn't think of a more perfect Boston Ballet pairing to see dance those particular roles. Every aspect of their pas de deux was smooth and rich. Their long figures complemented each other very well and let's face it... They're both simply beautiful. Words really couldn't express the utter beauty of their performance and I hope to watch them paired together again in other roles.
Act two opens with the Sugar Plum Fairy Attendants all in a row. The dancers were lovely and organized but the uncharacteristically short hot pink tutus were on the verge of tacky. Hopefully next year these costumes will also receive an update.
Kathleen Breen Combes, a dancer I have not yet seen perform, entered as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Her dazzling smile and strong style left the audience wonder struck and captivated. She welcomed in the divertisment of countries to perform for the attentively watching Clara and Drosselmeier, first of which was Chocolate from Spain.
Danced by two energetic mail demi-soloists, Duncan Lyle and Bo Busby, with the lead female, Brittany Summer. While technically superb, I was disappointed with the rather blandness of Summer's interpretation. A typically vivacious, explosive and memorable role was on the forgetful end of the spectrum.
Coffee from Arabia, performed by Ekaterine Chubinidze and Artyom Maksakov, was sensual, exotic and packed with impressive stunts that pulled gasps from the mouths of audience members. Despite the variation's length, the two kept the audience captivated all the way through.
Sylvia Deaton and Isaac Akiba entered the stage as the lively Chinese dancers. Akiba who performed as the Young Man earlier in the performance was everything the role required and more. Spry and beaming, Deaton and Akiba danced the short variation with satisfying pizazz.
The two words that come to mind when I think of the Pastorale danced by Paulo Arrais, Alison Basford and Kimberly Uphoff are clean and lovely. The partnering was solid and the dance as a whole felt like a relaxed sigh.
In the Grandmere Ballabile, Robert Kretz transformed from his role of the Teddy Bear into the woman with a skirt large enough to house several students of the Boston Ballet. Drosselmeier and Clara leave their seats to dance with the children as Kretz over-dramatically dances atop stilts. The dance was a delight to the young children as well as the adults.
Jeffrey Cirio with Lawrence Rines and Irlan Silva appeared as the Russian dancers. Explosive is the word that comes to mind when replaying the performance in my head. Jeffrey Cirio is absolutely the most entertaining Russian I have seen to date. His abundant energy even got the audience clapping to the beat at the end of the variation. I could never say enough about how much I enjoyed his performance.
Waltz of the Flowers was executed very professionally. Clean lines, clean technique and again, with the new year hopefully these costumes will receive an update as well. Lia Cirio as Dew Drop was nothing short of stunning. Her dazzling smile and flying jumps had her pegged perfectly for the blithe and prominent role and it was an honor to watch her dance it.
The grand pas de deux of the Sugarplum Fairy and the Cavalier was smooth as silk. Combes is the perfect combination of sharp, precise movements and graceful elegance and her variation was, in a word, sublime. Pavel Gurevich is certainly an experienced dancer, however there is a closed-off, inward quality to his dancing that is difficult for me personally to get past. With or without it, he danced solidly and with an appropriate regal air.
All in all, a fantastic, high quality and family friendly performance.
Ballerinablogger ~
Have any questions/comments? Leave a comment below or e-mail me here :)