By Kathryn Olsen
Salt Lake City is known for its full complement of holiday happenings, but few are as long-standing as Ballet West‘s annual production of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky‘s The Nutcracker at the Capitol Theatre. This 1892 ballet by the composer of Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake is based on the 1816 story by E.T.A. Hoffman and an adaptation by Alexandre Dumas. This weekend kicks off the 75th anniversary of Willam Christensen‘s version. It is accompanied by events ranging from an alumni gathering to a congressional resolution by Congressman Ben Mcadams celebrating the contributions of Ballet West to American ballet culture. The lobby of the theater features cardboard trees marked with decades on which attendees can mark when they first experienced The Nutcracker. I took time to inscribe my name for the 1980s before entering the theater for opening night.
Doctor Drosselmeyer (Beau Pearson/Rex Tilton/Trevor Naumann/Adrian Fry) and his nephew set off for a Christmas Eve party at the home of the Stahlbaums. He provides entertainment and gifts for the children in attendance, but it is to his goddaughter Clara (Eliana Smith/Naomi Steele/Emilie Huntsman/Quinn Souvall) that he gives the eponymous nutcracker in the shape of a soldier. That night, she witnesses a fearsome battle between the forces of the Nutcracker Prince (Adam Macfarlan/ Jordan Veit/Joshua Whitehead/Kyle Davis/Hadriel Diniz/David Huffmire) and the barbaric mice who infest Clara’s home under the direction of the Mouse King (Hadriel Diniz/Tyler Gum/Trevor Naumann/Dominic Ballard). After Clara’s daring intervention saves the Prince, he brings her to his kingdom so she can be honored for her bravery.
Smith’s Clara is a mesmerizing depiction of youthful enthusiasm on the cusp of adolescent maturity. She is a commanding presence among her peers, but loses none of her power when she follows the lead of her new ally.
Pearson plays the Prince with a sense of humor that makes this military leader lovable. His most nuanced moments come when he is inviting Clara into the wider world and he demonstrates real affection in his interactions with her and his subjects.
The Sugar Plum Fairy (Beckanne Sisk/Chelsea Keefer/Jenna Rae Herrera/Kaitlyn Addison/Sayaki Ohtaki/Allison DeBona/Katie Critchlow) and her Cavalier (Chase O’Connell/Adrian Fry/Christopher Sellars/Rex Tilton/Tyler Gum/Jordan Veit/Alexander MacFarlan) are an inseparable and unstoppable force onstage. Sisk dazzles from the first moment that she enters wearing wings and an elaborate cape, but graciously and gracefully directs the exhibition in the Prince’s kingdom in addition to beautifully executing some of the most complicated choreography in the production. O’Connell, while clearly deferring to her, is an excellent companion to Sisk and tackles several of the most unforgettable solos and duets of the ballet.
Another outstanding pair is that of the Snow Queen (Kaitlyn Addison/Beckanne Sisk/Allison Debona/Katie Critchlow/Lindsay Bond/Sayaka Ohtaki/Chelsea Keefer) and Snow King (Tyler Gum/Adrian Fry/Chase O’Connell/Hadriel Diniz/Christopher Sellars/Rex Tilton/alexander MacFarlan). Theirpas de deux at the end of the first act is a study in contrasts as Addison and Gum strongly perform roles that demand great energy in some moments as well as serene majesty in others. They are the eye of the storm created by the corps de ballet‘s swirling and intricate blizzard of dance.
Diniz’ brief role as the Mouse King is both terrifying and humorous. Accompanied by seven lieutenants, he is relentlessly sinister until the moment that he falls in battle, whereupon he melodramatically passes away in a manner that softens the blow of an onstage death for younger audiences.
The second act’s variations are rightly beloved by audiences everywhere as small groups of dancers represent cultures ranging from Chinese to Russian. Artistic Director Adam Sklute recently mentioned in an interview that one of the things restored to this production from the original is the inclusion of a male dancer in the Spanish variation and Hadriel Diniz (Alexander Macfarlan/Jordan Veit/Trevor Naumann) makes that role remarkable in his own right. The Chinese variation tells a brief story of a warrior’s fight with a dragon, while the Arabian dance features sleight-of-hand and a bit of mystery.
One of the most remarkable things about any production is The Nutcracker’s reliance on child dancers. Sklute auditioned six hundred dancers from dance schools across Utah and even cast dancers from Wyoming and Nevada. The result is that the four casts have seventy-five up-and-coming dancers, each with a unique character to play. Sklute prides himself on bringing out the personalities of these dancers and this is reflected in anything from a little girl who will not stay in her place at the party to the Buffoon Tumbler (Amaya Suzuki/Sophie Seely/Naomi Galke/Lucy Priet) who energizes the charming dance with Mother Buffoon with a tumbling pass worthy of a gymnastics meet. Even the antagonists have their charms, as two young mice appear at first to be squabbling over a piece of cheese.
With so much talent onstage, it might be easy to overlook the production design, but Ballet West’s staging of this is truly spectacular. Scenic Design by John Wayne Cook, Dick Bird and Belinda Bird draws the audience’s attention as the establishing shot of a cityscape is gradually replaced by more intimate settings until the audience joins the Stahlbaums in their home, but then begins to expand the horizon again as Clara and the Prince journey to his magical world. Lighting Design by Kevin Dreyer and Projection Design by Mike Tutaj create the illusion of the aurora borealis and fireworks as well as the understated home lighting in the party scenes. Costume Designer David Heuwel fuses the functional and fantastical to transport the characters and viewers into another world. The entire production is compelled to greater levels of magic by the skillful accompaniment of the orchestra under Jared Oaks.
This timeless tradition is one that can be enjoyed by the whole family and will be playing until just after Christmas. Gather your regiments and your waltzing flowers and come join the journey before it leaves for another year.
Ballet
West presents The
Nutcracker by
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Choreography by Willam F. Christensen,
based on the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann
Capitol
Theatre, 50 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Dec 7-26, 2019, 7:00
PM, matinee 2:00 PM. See website for dates and times.
Tickets:
$34-$129
Contact: 801-869-6900
www.balletwest.org
Ballet
West Facebook Page
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Nutcracker Facebook
Event
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