Ballet,  christmas

The Nutcracker – Christmas Magic In Birmingham

The most iconic ballet of all time last night re-opened at the Birmingham Hippodrome, following a extensive rebuild of John Macfarlane’s famously beautiful sets. Yes, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ is back in all its glory, as sparkly and new as it looked in 1990, and totally ready to enthral audiences once again. As wonderful as the London production was in 2021, this is the visual treat that always signifies the start of Christmas in Birmingham, and last night, with Sir Peter Wright in the audience, the snow fell on the stage, the rats were led back to their cage, and the magic was truly a joy to behold.

The story of The Nutcracker tells of Clara, a young girl who is presented with a Nutcracker doll by a magician, Drosselmeyer. As night falls Clara is unable to sleep, so creeps downstairs to collect her Nutcracker from under the Christmas tree. But magic is afoot, and the sitting room grows and changes to a sinister enclave filled with giant rats, all of whom seem to want to hurt Clara. The Nutcracker then springs to life, along with her brothers toy soldiers to run to the defence of the young girl. Thus starts a night of dream adventures that encompass dancers from many different lands, a flying dove and a Sugarplum fairy.

As Clara, Karla Doorbar is forever perfect, her dancing is full of charm and youthful elegance and joy. Momoko Hirata is an exquisite Sugar Plum fairy, so beautiful and majestic when dancing with the Prince. And, as the Prince, Mathias Dingman is wonderful, everyone’s idea of an handsome prince, with a performance that combines drama and sensitivity. Rory Mackay is a brilliant Droselmeyer, truly magic in every sense of the word.

The famous score soars across the theatre, played so expertly by the excellent Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and, as the performance comes to a close it is clear that The Nutcracker will never fail to enchant and delight audiences of all ages, it is simply the epitome of magic.

Sun 20 Nov – Sat 10 Dec

Tickets from £25

Click here for ticket information

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