Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a trip to see The Nutcracker. The winter production by the Birmingham Royal Ballet never ceases to amaze me with its enthralling spectacle.
The ballet begins set in a grand mansion on Christmas Eve. Clara, the principle ballerina of the show, is celebrating Christmas Eve with her family and friends. Her parents invite a magician to provide entertainment and he comes bearing gifts including a Nutcracker doll for young Clara. Clara creeps downstairs during the night and as the clock suddenly turns to midnight Clara is transported into a magical world and is lead by the Nutcracker in an enchanting adventure.
The set and staging for the ballet is flawless. I was truly captivated by the way the set enhanced the story. Such as when Clara is taken into The Land Of Snow, the realistic quality of the forest and the falling snow was astonishing.
I found the ballet incredibly entrancing as the cast moved so gracefully with true passion and emotion. Each movement had a feeling which allowed me to engage with the story and dancers. I found all the dancers remarkable however the stand out performance for me was Céline Gittens who’s serene and exquisite dancing covered me in goosebumps from head to toe.
Choreographed by Peter Wright, who I was lucky enough to meet a few years ago, transferred his magnificent ideas onto stage with intricate attention to detail.
Not to mention the breathtaking music from the Orchestra throughout the entirety of the show, really creating a magical atmosphere.
There’s not much I love more than a trip to the ballet, I wouldn’t call myself an expert but if you’ve never experienced the wondrous festivities of The Nutcracker then I’d get yourself down to the Hippodrome.
The show continues to run until the 13th of December and you can get tickets here.
