Matthew Bourne Remakes Nutcracker!
A Review of the Remake of the Classic Tchaikovsky Christmas Ballet
Matthew Bourne has bravely taken on this classic Christmas ballet and branded it with his own distinctive mark. But how does it compare to the original?
The classic Nutcracker is a lavish feast of Christmas extravagance: magical toys, terrifying creatures and dramatic sets combine with Tchaikovsky’s colourful score to create a magical seasonal fairytale. Matthew Bourne has left all of this behind him with his adventurous adaptation.
In this bleak tale, Clara is an unfortunate inmate at the orphanage of Dr. Dross. This man and his wife, along with their two spoilt children torment the orphans and Christmas is nothing to look forward to. Dross’s daughter plays the villain of the piece. In the opening scenes Clara receives the nutcracker as a Christmas present and in a fit of jealousy she breaks it. It is mended by an orphan boy, who later becomes Clara’s dream nutcracker prince.
The orphans and their carers then journey through the dreamlike Land of Ice, where Dross’s daughter, true to form, steals Clara’s Nutcracker Prince for herself. They continue on to the magical Sweetieland. Clara follows them on their journey, but is thwarted at every turn, and eventually loses her prince to her enemy. There is of course, a happy ending though, as Clara returns to the orphanage, only to find that her prince was waiting there all along.
Whilst the concept is sound, storytelling is clearly not Bourne’s strong point. Clara’s unhappy journey drags on, whereas the sudden surprise ending happens so quickly that the audience is left a little unsure of what has taken place.
The costumes and scenery however, are fantastic. The orphanage scenes take place in monochrome which contrasts superbly to the dazzling colours of Sweetieland, and the symbolism of the sets is useful for clarification at times when the plot becomes unclear.
A highlight of the piece is the series of ensembles which replace the national dances from the original. Instead of different countries, the dancers take on the characteristics of various types of sweets. Licorice allsorts perform a bold, Spanish dance, a gang of lewd biker boys depict gobstoppers and the set is completed by a group of fluffy pink marshmallow girls. They are all overseen by the fat mint humbug bouncer who repeatedly turns Clara away from Sweetieland.
This is not the dazzling masterpiece that one might hope for, but is nevertheless an enjoyable show. Whilst the choreography is a little unambitious, the characterisation is excellent. It lacks the dramatic flair of the original, but, if considered as an entirely separate entity, remains a pleasing and agreeable family piece.
