Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky re-composed by Pepe Gavilondo Peon and Yasel Muñoz
Choreographer: Carlos Acosta
Can there ever be too many Nutcrackers? As well as the regular productions that we see around the country every December, this year there’s a new beast on the block – and it’s something very different. We don’t open with the European mansion with its enormous Christmas tree. Instead, we are transported across the Atlantic to a small family home in Havana, with a wispy tree decorated with old cans. Gone too are the traditional arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s score, with this production giving the familiar melodies a Cuban feel, with Latin rhythms and different orchestrations.
We start by being taken to the house – Nina Dunn’s video design leads us through the streets of Havana, whizzing through streets and over rooftops – where the family gather. Uncle Elías Drosselmeyer (Alexander Varona) is visiting from Miami, and he’s brought gifts. Three life-size dolls which he brings to life, and, for Clara (Laura Rodríguez), a small wooden nutcracker. He’s brought other magic too, transforming the house and the family’s clothes into something far grander.
There are some very funny comic turns from members of the company during the whole of this sequence – doddering grandparents in particular create some great opportunities for humour – with mischievous children running amok as the magic starts to unfold. Drosselmeyer has brought some chancleta clogs and the family join together to perform a traditional Cuban dance. But once the guests have left and the family are all in bed, things take a darker turn resulting in the usual fight between the rats and soldiers – though, ever with an eye for the Cuban touch, these are Mambíses, fighters for Cuban independence, defeating the Spanish, before the Mambí Captain takes on human form and whisks a dreaming Clara off to the Kingdom of Sweets.
It’s a lively and very different take on the Tchaikovsky classic, and things pick up even more during the second act. We get the traditional series of dances to entertain Clara, with a good mixture of traditional and modern choreography – some of it very inventive indeed, with the Chinese dance performed by two male dancers fighting, grappling and somersaulting at speed, showing great muscular control and almost threatening to steal the show. It’s not all like that though; we also get some much more traditional costume and choreography.
It’s a fun and entertaining production for audience members of all ages, with some very energetic choreography and inventive ideas giving us a piece that feels fresh without losing too much of the magic that a more traditional Nutcracker brings. The musical re-composition by Pepe Gavilondo Peón and Yasel Muñoz gives it a modern twist and often works extremely well. Latin rhythms, steel pans and piano, all help to transport you to Cuba. Mostly the choreography has been adapted to suit the music, such as with the clog dances and the Mirlitons, and everything works nicely. Just occasionally there’s a jar though – Laurretta Summerscales dances a beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy, full of pointe work and dressed in a pretty traditional costume, but underscoring it is not the delicate celeste that you normally find but a much heavier arrangement which doesn’t quite suit.
Nina Dunn’s video works well too, adding enormously to the feel of the piece, but some of the swooping and soaring round street corners and over rooftops can be disconcerting. It’s only brief, though, and the set and design is on the whole good, flowing seamlessly through the piece.
If you haven’t seen a Nutcracker yet this Christmas, there’s still time – this is touring until the end of January – and unless you’re the most die-hard purist you’ll find it entertaining and engaging.
Runs until 14 January 2025 and on tour