By Michelle Rawlins
Just when you thought the final curtain had been called on the magic of the festive season, The Nutcracker entered the stage of Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre, with all the enchantment you would expect from Tchaikovsky’s fairy tale ballet.
Under the guidance of artistic director, Marina Medvetskaya, the audience were swept away as the retelling of Clara and her magical wooden toy unfolds, performed with moments of beauty, by the relatively new International Ballet Theatre.
The choreography, as you would expect from a classic ballet, is full of mesmerising pirouettes, impressive lifts and a flurry of magnificent Jetes.
The costumes, a mixture of delicate, pastel chiffon and glitter, mixed with colourful, embellished, velvet frock coats add to the atmospheric setting, which includes a beautiful fabric Christmas tree, and the enchanting storytelling.
As the tradition dictates, following an evening of dancing, Clara (Arisa Hashimoto) is gifted her new Christmas toy, a beautiful wooden nutcracker, by her decadent and mysterious Uncle Drosselmeier, performed by Yelaman Tiyshtykbay.
That night when Clara falls asleep, as Hoffman’s German story dictates, she dreams all her toys have come to life. A tremendous, but playful battle commences, between the very agile mice and the exquisite, staccato like, tin soldiers. Although there’s the odd slip and what feels like an occasional, forced, painted-on smile, the choreography is spectacularly crafted, and on the whole the dancers perform exceptionally.
After the King Mouse meets his demise, Drosselmeier’s magic, once again, plays a hand. The Nutcracker is transformed into a dashing prince (Assylbek Ismail) and he and Clara are transported to a glittering fairy-tale Land of Sweets.
This is where the production really starts to come into its own, as the dancing Snowflakes, in their soft white tulle tutus, perform their enchanting scene as they glide across the winter wonderland stage, accompanied by a fluttering of (noisy) snow, to Tchaikovsky’s renowned and magnificent score, performed live by the accompanying orchestra.
As Act Two unfolds, one spectacular performance after another ensues, as the feather-light Clara and her charming Prince, continue their enchanting journey. There’s the familiar exotic Russian Cossacks, expertly performed by Alexis Cooper and Jade Walker, the opulent Arabian Doll (Gai Suehiro), the comedic Chinese acrobats, and of course the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, where Arisa Hashimoto puts in another stunning performance.
There are, however, a couple of moments that jar from the overall magic. There’s a red-eyed remote-control rat, which spins around the stage before the Mouse King appears, the very loud snow machine that causes the audience to stir, taking attention away from the exquisitely performed dance, and the very white tights, worn by the male dancers, which leave nothing to the imagination.
Although, this might not, at times, be the most perfectly polished and sophisticated of performances, it is still a sweet adaptation with some wonderful stand-out moments, that left the audience captivated from start to end.