The Nutcracker ballet is famously flawed in dramatic terms, but Tchaikovsky’s twinkling score has given it eternal life. We come here to be cosily coddled with reassurance and fantasy and a warm winter glow, and the Royal Ballet’s production by Peter Wright (made in 1984, revised in 1999) delivers.
Wright’s slant on a nut that has been cracked every which way since 1892 is to put at its centre the magician Drosselmeyer (Gary Avis, a man who can carry a ballet). The set-up is that his nephew has been cursed and turned into a nutcracker doll, and only the right combo of true love and bravery can break the spell. Wright also gets Clara and the Nutcracker involved in the dancing in Act II, where historically they have been relegated to the sidelines. Those tweaks do make a difference – although the first act party still drags a bit – and there’s a nice bit of heartstring-pulling at the end.
