Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker! arrives in Cardiff

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky is a ballet most of us have undoubtedly heard of, Matthew Bourne’s interpretation however, is a modern take on this much-loved classic, returning to the stage for the first time in a decade, it was originally staged in 1992! The original Nutcracker story shows a young girl, Clara finding a nutcracker toy under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve which then comes to life, fights the mouse king and takes Clara on a magical adventure, this version is quite different……..

The story begins with the dancers gradually coming onto the stage, staring into the audience with wonder, amazement, fear and surprise as they take on the role of children in an orphanage trying to impress then audience as potential adoptive parents. The dancers all did an astounding job of trying to convince the audience of their characters personalities using only their facial expressions, gestures and dance.

Move to the first scene set in the orphanage which is as one would expect being drab and void of colour. The set was minimalistic with just the right amount of detail to portray the feeling of hopelessness in the orphanage with the dancers in plain costumes. The orphanage owner, Dr and Mrs Dross came across stern and ruthless through their costumes and gestures, their two children dressed and acting as spoilt brats. It soon becomes clear that the mouse king from the classic Nutcracker is replaced by Dr Dross as chaos ensues with the orphans becoming the soldiers who fight against him now enter the Nutcracker who, in Matthew Bourne’s version, is not a Nutcracker but a doll who comes to life.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”26906″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Once Dr Dross is defeated the story begins to weave its tale as the now living doll leads Clara through the window to her escape, the set moved smoothly to reveal blue cloudy skies and even a flurry of snow with the dancers portraying ice skaters.

In the second half we are treated to a scene featuring a floating bed as Clara is transported to Sweetieland giving a first glimpse of how the ballet evolves from dark and dreary surroundings into a more light hearted portrayal of the dreams of young girl, with the set and costumes gradually building up in colour and extravagance. The moment the ballet truly shifts mood, is when Clara discovers a giant mouth at the entrance to Sweetieland and is met with fun and colourful characters such as Knickerbocker Glory , the marshmallow girls (who are WAG type ladies dressed in matching sparkly costumes with fluffy hats) and a biker gang. My personal favourite was the liquorice allsorts lady dressed in a fabulous liquorice allsorts dress and accompanied by two Matadors with a little Pasadoble style stomping thrown in for good measure.

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The real showstopper for me was when Clara gains entry to Sweetieland a huge wedding cake takes over the back of the stage with dancers on every layer, this was met with gasps of delight from the audience. We were then treated to a burst of dance and colour before returning to the orphanage and Clara……had it all been a dream?

Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker is a delightful adaptation with lots of modern twists, if you are expecting tutus, leotards and tiaras or serious faces and pastel colours think again! These classic elements of the ballet are replaced with modern costumes with barely a pointe ballet shoe in sight with some dancers even being barefoot. The choreography is a blend of ballet, modern and contemporary dance and this combined with the humorous portrayal of the characters by the dancers, the costumes and set all weave together to form a magical web which is sure to captivate you, so take everything you think you know about the ballet, put it to one side and see this incredible show with an open mind  magical story told by an incredibly talented troupe of dancers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]