By Kathryn Olsen
There are some experiences that are essential to the holiday experience and, thanks to Central Utah Ballet, Christmas Eve has come already to Provo‘s Covey Center for the Arts with a holiday staple: The Nutcracker. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky‘s1892 ballet is based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman and is performed around the world. I, personally, embrace every chance to see a production of this whimsical work and was excited to see it performed by a company that is new to me.
As the ballet opens, Clara Stahlbaum (Campbell Ward/Hazel Gardner) and her brother, Fritz (George Fox), are preparing to receive guests at their home on Christmas. The excitement is only heightened by the arrival of Clara’s godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer (Wilson Domingues), a doting avuncular figure with a flair for sleight-of-hand. He presents Clara with the titular nutcracker doll and after the rest of the household has gone to bed, Clara is beset upon by mice under the thrall of the Mouse Queen (Adalyn Wood/Leah Cox). It is then that the tree grows and the toys come to life so that the Nutcracker Prince (Cannon Fox) and his soldierettes are able to come to the defense of the Stahlbaums. It is after Clara helps him defeat the household foes that he takes her to his palace so his subjects can do her honor.
Ward (Gardner) plays Clara as a natural leader. At the beginning, she takes charge of teaching her brother proper etiquette for the party and helps the Buffoons in their presentation to her. She is technically accomplished, but the dancing is a background to the obvious warmth of her character and there is no question why this ballet is focused on Clara’s journey.
Fox’s greatest strength lies in his stage presence. There are moments of beautifully lyrical dancing, but it is hard to forget his masterful command of the soldierettes in opposition to the mice. One of the most touching parallels comes at the end of Act 1, when this prince who has been carried lovingly by a young girl, carries her in his arms in turn. There is great camraderie between Fox and Ward that speaks of kindred souls.
Domingues is the most entertaining of the principal characters. During his party appearances, he acts as an ordinary magician who can produce flowers from thin air or have a never-ending scarf in his hat. This is masking the fact that he is able to enchant the toys of the house. Domingues’ Herr Drosselmeyer is bewitching as well as beguiling and perfectly seems the larger-than-life mentor that every member of the Stahlbaum family could use.
Mrs. Stahlbaum (Rebecca JennneJohn) appears briefly, but effectively. JenneJohn plays her as someone who remembers what it is to be young, but encourages her children to grow into themselves. She is never exactly stern, but when she is able to break her matriarchal form and enjoy a dance, it brings a smile to any audience member’s face.
The pas de deux performances are enchanting. Jordan Strang (Elijah Hatch) and Sahaja Rutledge (Natalie Schott/Karina Olson) provide a breath-taking introduction into the world beyond the Stahlbaum house in the snow scene, combining dramatic lifts and intricate duets with an ethereal effort that gives the audience the impression that they have accidentally noticed fae beings on stage. In the Act 2 Grand Pas de Deux and its codas, Eva Thompson (Morgan Morley) and Elijah Hatch close out the program of cultural homages with solemnity and joy in turn.
This ballet always demands a great deal from the corps de ballet as well as smaller group performances. The cast included a wonderful children’s element, whose skill level matches their function, but also allowed them to imbue the production with even more personality than usual. Several of the party children are choreographed to fail to contain their excitement at Christmas presents, while the very young mice steal the scene when their Queen is defeated and they squeak in heart-warming distress. With the cultural dance representations, each ensemble demonstrates great dedication to matching their energy to each other, while letting specific dancers take their turn throughout the variation. Most notable in the ensemble work is the varied texture of certain moments. Scenes in the snow and the Waltz of the Flowers are familiar as technically-demanding spectacles, but Director and Choreographer Jennie Greer-King gives the audience more personal moments as there are tableaux of dancers as well as parts that focus on the movement of the arms. The Waltz of the Flowers is unlike any other staging I have seen in decades of enjoying The Nutcracker.
While Greer-King helms the production , the Arabian dance is choreographed by Lindsay Folkman with a keen ability to weave together interactions between different sets of dancers. Set Design by Doug Ellis is imaginative and enhances the scenes as more than mere backdrops and the Lighting Design by the Covey Center staff sets the tone with unobtrusive effectiveness. The costumes by Stephanie Jackson, Marthanne Argyle, and Priscilla Hao are lovely, whether Mrs. Stahlbaum’s relatively simple, but elegant, party dress or the less-ordinary Sugar Plum Fairy’s shimmering costume. The skill of the performers speaks to the hard work of Ballet Mistess Jessica Thompson and her Reharsal Assistants Jessamyn Efken, Brooklynn Smith, and Kassidy Walstad.
The season’s first and certainly original production of The Nutcracker only runs for two more performances, so hurry to the Stahlbaum house by way of the box office and see this masterpiece before Clara must turn in for the night. Audiences of all ages will enjoy this remarkable show.
Central Utah Ballet Presents The Nutcracker; Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Covey Center for the Arts, 425 West Center Street, Provo, UT 84601
Nov 10-11, 2021, 5:00 and 8:00 PM
Tickets: $15
www.centralutahballet.com
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