REVIEW: George Balanchine’s ‘The Nutcracker’ at NYC Ballet
Photo: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker features the famous scene between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Photo courtesy of Erin Baiano / Provided by NYC Ballet with permission.
George Balanchine left his choreographic mark on 20th-century dance like no other artist of his ilk. His routines are celebrated and revived season after season, and his creative baby, the New York City Ballet, is still at the forefront of balletic dance in the United States.
A perfect opportunity to appreciate and experience Balanchine’s awe-inspiring choreographic vocabulary comes in the form of the holiday staple, The Nutcracker, now playing through Jan. 5 at NYC Ballet’s home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
The two-hour, Christmas-themed show, set to the memorable music of Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, is the standard-bearer for Nutcrackers both in New York City and around the world. After an audience member experiences several of these holiday iterations, it’s a safe bet to say that Balanchine’s version is the best of the best — waiting for 65 years to be outdone, but never losing its spot at the top.
At the recent opening-night performance of the ballet, the company was in fine form as they brought Balanchine’s vision to life. All of the iconic scenes were not only dusted off but enlivened with wondrous performances and collective, joy-filled movement from both junior and veteran dancers.
Act I of the ballet begins at a Christmas party set around a beautifully lit tree. The parents exchange pleasantries while the children await the coming of presents and spoiled fun. Balanchine has this early action play out almost generationally, with the youngest dancers bounding across the stage and offering simple dance steps, like jumping up with arms outstretched toward the heavens (or more likely a gift).
Marie (Sophia Thomopoulos) becomes the center of the attention. Audiences watch as she parades through the proceedings, ducking away from the stares of her parents (Ask la Cour and Marika Anderson) and playing around with her brother, Fritz (Brandon Chosed). They are joined by a motley variety of guests, maids and other children.
The narrative starts to take shape, and enter the supernatural, when Herr Drosselmeier (Robert La Fosse) enters the party with his nephew (Kai Misra-Stone), who eventually becomes the title character, the Nutcracker himself.
Drosselmeier is Marie’s beloved godfather, according to program notes, and he brings an air of mystery and wonder to the Christmas party. In particular, when he pulls out the nutcracker as a gift, everything starts to change into an alternate reality of sugar plum fairies and warring soldiers.
Balanchine’s vision starts to become wondrously creative when Marie falls asleep, and the nutcracker and his magic take hold of the Stahlbaum household. First, there is one mouse, then another, then another. And what would certainly be any New Yorker’s nightmare apartment scenario becomes Balanchine’s entry point into the mystical land of diversionary fun.
An entire operatic narrative plays out in front of Marie when the mice are joined by the Mice King (Gilbert Bolden III), and a troop of soldiers comes to her rescue. War plays out on the wide stage of the NYC Ballet, and Marie (and vicariously the audience) have a front-row seat.
When the war is finished, there is plenty of spoils to enjoy, and this being a children’s show, the spoils come in the form of candy, color and chocolate. The poetic thrust for Balanchine’s choreography is E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, but eventually the source material fades a bit — and Balanchine and his movement take over.
Case in point: the Act I finale that features the most beautiful portrait created in a show of many beautiful portraits. That is, the moment when the Snowflakes take the stage while a small and gentle snowstorm blows in. The music from Tchaikovsky will be recognizable, and Balanchine’s balletic twists and turns are the definition of grace and precision. The dancers move about the stage — never succumbing to the slippery floor made by the dropped snow — and offer Marie a chance to see beauty incarnate. It’s a highlight of the show, and amazingly it comes in the first act. There’s still another hour to go.
After the intermission, in the second act is a parade of quick vignettes, all played for the entertainment of Marie and the Nutcracker, who take a seat upstage. In this “Land of Sweets,” there are angels, candy canes, flowers and, a personal favorite, marzipan shepherdesses.
The Sugarplum Fairy (Megan Fairchild) and her Cavalier (Gonzalo Garcia) are a surefire highlight, and their duet near the end of the show stays emblazoned on the minds of audience members. It’s plentiful in agility and elegance, with Garcia’s Cavalier complementing the exquisite movements of Fairchild, a principal dancer who combines skill with seeming ease for a powerful interpretation of Balanchine’s vision.
Watching The Nutcracker at NYC Ballet is a necessary holiday tradition, one replete with recognizable and beloved sequences that have introduced many young audience members to the wonders of ballet. Their youthful devotion to the material is only matched by their equally entranced parents, who are sometimes as wide-eyed as the children.
Who doesn’t love seeing those tiny angels glide around in perfect synchronicity, almost as if they have no feet beneath them? Who doesn’t love the comedy of Mother Ginger (Preston Chamblee, a scene stealer) with her Polichinelles, all stuffed into a hilariously oversized dress? Who doesn’t love seeing that Christmas tree ascend to the rafters? Who doesn’t love hearing a live orchestra play music that has become ingrained in the world’s collective memory? No piped-in tunes here!
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is a gift that has been given to audience members continually and without fail since 1954. It’s 65 years young.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, featuring music by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Balanchine, plays through Jan. 5 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. The New York City Ballet production features scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska and conducting by Andrew Litton. Running time: 2 hours. Rating: 
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