Dec 18, 2017 | Dance Reviews, Utah County

Utah Metropolitan Ballet’s Nutcracker is the Loveliest Thing I’ve Ever Seen Onstage

Front Row Reviewers

By Jennifer Mustoe and Hannah Siegfried

I brought my future daughter-in-law Hannah to see Utah Metropolitan Ballet’s Nutcracker, playing at Provo’s Covey Center for the Arts, because Hannah knows ballet and I don’t. But I realized very soon into this magnificent performance that while it’s nice to have an expert review, I, the lover of all types of arts can recognize beauty, talent, and magnificence when I see it. I don’t need to know ballet, per se. Which is why I am saying with as much emphasis as I can muster: GO SEE UTAH METROPOLITAN BALLET’S NUTCRACKER. Read this review, then click on the link to buy your tickets and go. They have only a few more dates and you really mustn’t miss this.

Let me back up a bit. Front Row Reviewers Utah reviews lots of shows at the Covey–pretty much all of them. We love the Covey and I think they like us pretty much, too. So when speaking with Nicole Graham in their marketing department, we were going over the other “non-Covey” shows that use their lovely facilities, Graham said, “Don’t miss the Utah Metropolitan Ballet’s production of Nutcracker. They have amazing sets and costumes.” Folks, this Nicole knows what she’s talking about. As the curtain opens, we are greeted with the most detailed, palatial, colorful set and backdrops I’ve ever seen in my life ever. I mean, EVER. It is the stuff of magical dreams. Hannah said it looked like a beautiful pop up book. Each backdrop, each set piece, each costume looked like we were in a fairyland of beauty. Scenic/Costume Designer Cassandra Barney, I’d like to meet her and tell her to her face that she have my complete admiration. I’m not a jealous person, for the most part, but if I had this person’s talent, I’d feel like I’d been blessed by the angels. If you don’t like ballet but love beautiful color, movement, costumes, scenery, you must go see Nutcracker for these alone. I read in her bio that she was honoring James Christensen‘s art in her drawings for the design, and yes! I totally saw that. And the sweetest part of this story–Christensen is her late father.

Nutcracker‘s story is simple. Clara (Sylvie Squires/Hailey Jo Johnson) and Fritz (Isaac Leishman) are at a Christmas party. This party is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen–again–costumes, and dancing–such precision! Herr Drosselmeyer (Christopher Young), who I thought had the most adorable make-up on in the show (many make-up artists listed in the program)–a mysterious clock maker brings mechanical a Harlequin (Robert Tyler Burkett/Aurelio Guimaraes) and a Columbine (Kimberly Adams). These dancers perform throughout the production, and are stellar and delightful. But this first scene, I didn’t just watch the stage–I watched the audience. All the little kids sitting near me were transfixed. Life-sized dolls dancing! Drosselmeyer brings Clara a nutcracker and in a strange series of events, the nutcracker becomes a Prince (Colin Hathaway/Tyler Burkett), and Clara gets to go on a fantastic journey to see many different types of dancers in magical places. That is the short summary of the show. If you don’t know anything about ballet, there are no words spoken (like in plays or musicals), so the story is written in the program so you know what’s going to happen next. And the dancers tell the story with their movement. I hadn’t been to a ballet in so long, I was grateful that people in the audience knew when to clap (after any super cool move by dancer(s)) and I soon got into the clapping and hooting. Yes, there were shrieks of delight in this performance, just like any amazing performance–play, rock concert, musical, what have you. Ballet is just that cool. I know I sound like a neophyte, which I am, but this review is for those who just want great art and aren’t necessarily ballet aficionados–and may have never even considered going to a ballet.

Reconsider this decision if this is you. Utah Metropolitan Ballet’s Nutcracker will make you a ballet-loving fan with just one scene from this production. Guaranteed.

Because this is a Christmas-themed production, if you listen to Christmas music at all, you’ll have heard pieces from the Nutcracker that you may not have known were from this show. But it is wonderful to hear these pieces and then see what happens onstage–the dances, choreographed by UMB’s Founding Director Jacqueline Colledge, are out of this world. Each number was lively, perfect, and completely different. Clara is taken to a place where she is entertained by dancers from all over, and each piece is varied and delightful. As I watched The Nutcracker, I was thrilled with how different and singular each number was. Of course, because I have limited dance experience I think, how do they come up with such variety? Colledge does, times ten. The orchestra, beautifully conducted by Bryce Rytting, plays the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with so much precision and beauty. And because we were sitting on the front row, we could see many of the musicians. Bonus for us.

In ballets of this caliber, there are professional dancers, and all are amazing. Particularly we loved the Snow Queen (Kaitlyn Potts, Jennifer Christie, Katelyn Conrad), The Snow Prince (Guiramaraes, Hathaway, Qing Sun), and of course, the Sugar Plum Fairy (Mallory Moon Wilson, K. Conrad). In fact, when the Sugar Plum Fairy came out, Hannah whispered, “And this is what everyone came to see.”

Many of the numbers have dancers from Jacqueline’s School of Ballet, and these dancers go from teeny tiny/adorable to professional. Each number is very well-choreographed, and even the little kiddos are in step. Every time there were super little kids in the dance, the audience sighed with the cuteness factor. (We loved all the little mice holding onto the tail of the little in front of them.) And as the more poised and talented dancers perform, there is this feeling of watching greatness and exquisite beauty. I’ve seen ballet programs before and there is something different here. Each dancer, no matter how small, had a smile on his or her face, and their movements, even from the tiny ones, were precise. This is a cut above and worth seeing.

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The Nutcracker plays until December 20th, so get your tickets NOW! Go see it NOW! It says Christmas with a capital C! You will love, love, love, love it!