By Kathryn Olsen
When a Christmas tradition has a 120-year history behind it, the stakes are high for any production, but Utah Metropolitan Ballet truly transcends the ordinary and transports the audience at Provo‘s Covey Center for the Arts. The ballet is an 1892 work by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, based on E.T.A. Hoffman‘s 1816 novel. It is such a Christmas staple that audiences can find something unique in each production they attend. Boston Ballet has a dancing bear, the Joffrey sets it at the Chicago World’s Fair, and many of us have seen the film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms this year. I’ve been a fan since seeing the version with Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov. En route to the performance, I even danced to the “Waltz of the Flowers” playing on my headphones while waiting for the train. In other words, I’m nuts for The Nutcracker.
The story itself is fairly simple. Clara Stahlbaum (Jessyca Chugg) is given a Nutcracker doll by her beloved godfather at her family’s Christmas Eve party. She immediately loves and cares for it in a maternal fashion. That night, the nefarious Mouse King (Timothy Silver) and his subjects come out to prey on the inhabitants of the house and the Nutcracker (Albert Kim) springs into action in Clara’s defense. Clara helps defeat the enemy and in thanks, the Nutcracker Prince (Qing Sun) brings her to his kingdom so his subjects can honor her bravery.
Given that the main character is a girl young enough to play with dolls, this is always an excellent show for emerging talents. Children are heavily involved, whether enjoying the party or blindly following the King as baby mice. Godfather Drosselmeyer even has a nephew/assistant played deftly by Mickey Isaacson. In Act Two, children drew the most applause as Mother Ginger’s children or the Marmalade Fairies. It was quite amusing to stand in line at intermission behind a four-year-old Baby Mouse who was picking out a Nutcracker doll of her own.
The Utah Metropolitan Ballet II dancers play many roles from the Sugar Plum Fairy Attendants to Clara. One standout performance is by Talullah Barney as the Ghost Doll, a figure who first seems to frighten Clara in her fight against the Mouse King, but later helps keep her from endangering herself. Kim plays the wartime Nutcracker with great agility and stage presence. This corps often formed a middle ground, being more sophisticated than the overly-excitable children, but not too old for the Christmas fun.
In the main company, the dancers often play several roles. Robert Tyler Burkett and apprentice Kimberly Adams dazzle as the dolls animated by Herr Drosselmeyer, but blend in beautifully later with the others for the “Waltz of the Flowers.” It creates an interesting contrast when Delaney Zieg appears both as Clara’s elegant mother, but flits around the stage as a snowflake in the forest. Likewise, the Mouse King and several of the Nutcracker’s citizens are among the Stahlbaum’s guests. One of the most striking dances is that of the Spanish trio, headed by Luis Capetillo, and including Mallory Moon Wilson and Shelbi Campbell.
As for the principal players, the mastermind is Guest Artist Christopher Young. Drosselmeyer is often an older figure, but Young is humorous and affectionate, while being undeniably magical. He is the beloved gift-giver, but he also commands household things to be larger than life and even the tree obeys. And when Clara needs guidance, Drosselmeyer is ready.
Jennifer Christie and Katelyn Conrad play major, yet similar, roles. Christie is ethereal and lovely in every moment as the Snow Queen and her wintry duet with the stately Colin Hathaway (Snow Prince) is deserving of the copious applause that closed out Act One. Act Two is presided over by Conrad as the Sugar Plum Fairy, who first honors Clara and is as much a guiding force as Drosselmeyer. Her bio mentions that she had appeared as Odile, the infamous black swan, and I was thrilled when she echoed that choreography near the end.
Qing Sun shines as the eponymous Nutcracker prince. He is a leader who takes his job seriously, but his true character is one of generosity and affection and while his solos are infrequent, they are always captivating. He is immensely skilled as a dancer, but he plays the role with real humanity for a fairy tale prince.
Chugg is a young dancer whom I hope to see featured again. She takes on the mantle of leadership among the party children quite naturally, but is submissive and grateful when she arrives in the kingdom. She rides there on a ship emblazoned with “Believing, you see” in Latin. The audience can absolutely assume that this spectacular is because of Clara’s faith in magic.
I have been attending this company’s productions for years as a yearly tradition and have enjoyed seeing the way that the choreography by founder Jacqueline Colledge has accommodated the expanded skill base of the dancers. The costumes and scenery by Cassandra Barney are both whimsical and appealing, always enhancing the experience. Marianne Ohran‘s lighting design is an invaluable contribution, particularly in the transformations required to set the stage for the extraordinary. Many performances are accompanied by a live orchestra under the direction of Bryce Rytting and the skilled musicians certainly egg on their counterparts with an enthusiastic performance.
The Nutcracker is running through December 22 and there are still many seats to be filled. Children from preschool onward can enjoy the performance and people who have lived decades since that age will be no less affected. It is a tale that will allow you to step outside of the busy world and the holiday rush while leaving an impression of wonder that will linger far past the performance.
Utah Metropolitan Ballet Presents The Nutcracker by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Covey Center for the Arts, 425 West Center Street, Provo, UT 84601
December 7-22, 2018 at 2 and 7:30 PM
Tickets: $24-30
Contact: 801-852-7007
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Utah Metropolitan Ballet Facebook Page
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