Rating: 
Summary: An Authentic Production Of The Great "Nutcracker"
Review: "The Nutcracker" was first staged for the Russian Czar's Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg by choreographer Lev Ivanov (choreographer of the famous 'lakeside scene' in "Swan Lake") in 1892. The ballet was originally meant to be choreographed by the great 19th century ballet master Marius Petipa (creator of "Don Quixote", "La Bayadere", "The Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake" among others), however he fell ill before rehearsal began and the responsabilty of the dances was given to his assistant, Lev Ivanov. Petipa commissioned the ballet from Tchaikovsky in 1891 after thier earlier success with "The Sleeping Beauty". Petipa wrote down detailed instructions in a 'bar for bar' manner. Tchaikovsky fullfilled his task with one of the ultimate master works of theater. The ballet was not a phenominal succes at its 1892 premiere, like its predecessor was, due largly in part to the un-dramatic libretto, not typical of the time. It was revised countless times in Russia, though it has never become the staple it is in the West.Here we have the Royal Ballet's revival and restoration of the original staging, as close to it as possible anyhow. The principals are exquisite: Leslie Collier as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Anthony Dowel as her Suitor. Collier is precise and quite the little powerhouse. Dowell is Noble and beautiful as her elegant suitor. The staging is great, and the choreography is well done with much taste. The national dances in the second act are obviously not true to the original (Im sure the original creators would have done a better job!) in many respects they do not fulfill their potential. But over all this production is a good interpretation of this ballet. For a more impressive second act, the New York City Ballet's production of Balanchine's "Nutcracker" (with Mcauley Culkin) is a great companion. Four Stars!
Rating:
Summary: An Authentic Production Of The Great "Nutcracker"
Review: "The Nutcracker" was first staged for the Russian Czar's Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg by choreographer Lev Ivanov (choreographer of the famous 'lakeside scene' in "Swan Lake") in 1892. The ballet was originally meant to be choreographed by the great 19th century ballet master Marius Petipa (creator of "Don Quixote", "La Bayadere", "The Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake" among others), however he fell ill before rehearsal began and the responsabilty of the dances was given to his assistant, Lev Ivanov. Petipa commissioned the ballet from Tchaikovsky in 1891 after thier earlier success with "The Sleeping Beauty". Petipa wrote down detailed instructions in a 'bar for bar' manner. Tchaikovsky fullfilled his task with one of the ultimate master works of theater. The ballet was not a phenominal succes at its 1892 premiere, like its predecessor was, due largly in part to the un-dramatic libretto, not typical of the time. It was revised countless times in Russia, though it has never become the staple it is in the West. Here we have the Royal Ballet's revival and restoration of the original staging, as close to it as possible anyhow. The principals are exquisite: Leslie Collier as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Anthony Dowel as her Suitor. Collier is precise and quite the little powerhouse. Dowell is Noble and beautiful as her elegant suitor. The staging is great, and the choreography is well done with much taste. The national dances in the second act are obviously not true to the original (Im sure the original creators would have done a better job!) in many respects they do not fulfill their potential. But over all this production is a good interpretation of this ballet. For a more impressive second act, the New York City Ballet's production of Balanchine's "Nutcracker" (with Mcauley Culkin) is a great companion. Four Stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Ballet Performance
Review: ...I think that this ballet posesses all the elements, which make it, in my opinion, a quality performance. To begin with,the dancers posess both exceptional technical dancing skills and great acting ability. I have seen many ballet performances on video (by other ballet companies), where the dancers posess good technical dancing skills, but when it comes down to their acting ability, they couldn't act if their life depended on it. An example of the royal ballet's superb technical dancing skills, can be seen, when the sugar plum fairy (Lesley Collier) dances her famous pas de deux with her cavaliar (Anthony Dowell). Both dancers posess exquisite grace and at the same time,an immense amount of confidence. You get the feeling watching them dance, that they feel very comfortable dancing with one another. In addition to the great dancers, this production also has quality sets and beautiful costumes. Another element which stands out in regards to the Royal Ballets production of the Nutcracker, is how the theme of the ballet is presented. In most Nutcracker performances, ballet companies use the common theme of a young girl(Clara) on the verge of adolescence, who one christmas eve, is given the Nutcracker doll by her godfather Drosselmeyer. What results from that encounter, is a night of magic and adventure. In contrast, the royal ballet takes this basic theme, and uses it , but adds to it, the element of romance. The girl is not a mere young girl, but an adolescent on the brink of womanhood. She loves her Nutcracker doll, which is really drosselmeyer's nephew, who was turned into a nutcracker, by the evil mouse queen. Once the nutcracker is transformed back into Drosselmeyer's nephew, he falls in love with her, and she falls in love with him. The viewer gets the sensation, at the end of the ballet, that both Clara and Drosselmeyer's nephew are destined to be together. Why? In addition to their mutual attraction and affection for one another, they both share a common bond, and that bond is Drosselmeyer, who is responsible for bringing them together.
Rating: 
Summary: Nobody Should Cut Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles!
Review: I am angry at this whole video! First of all, the conducting:The conductor must have studied with Herbert von Karajan because whoever the conductor is on this Royal Ballet Nutcracker does his own thing with the music and conducts in an extremely slow pace for no good reason and this is not dramatic effect at all. The music could've sped up just a tiny bit like Richard Bonynge's recording, but no! This is a Herbert Von Karajan-like reading of the Nutcracker score. Second of all, the dancers: They all look like old people except for Leslie Collier and the Prince(I don't remember who plays him). They are the only people who save this bad Nutcracker recording. Third of all, the divertissement:The conducting is way too slow in every single dance they put in there and the dancers all look like old people. A major problem with the divertissement is Mother Ginger and the polichinelles is cut. What was the director thinking? That is my favorite dance out of all of them from the Nutcracker. I've never heard any other production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker in which Mother Ginger was cut. "Look, Conductor! Think before you cut something, O.K.?" Mother Ginger is the most exciting dance in the entire ballet and nobody should cut that no matter if anybody is dancing it or not. I want to know what this Herbert Von Karajan-like conductor would've done to the dance if he conducted it? At least Richard Bonynge knows what to cut and what not to cut from this ballet and that The Nutcracker should be paced in a more steadier pace than on this recording. Why did this conductor have to cut Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles and why did he have to conduct in such a slow pace? Maybe he just doesn't understand the ballet too well or else he studied with Herbert von Karajan or Dmitry Kitajenko. This is how Kitajenko would've conducted this ballet if he conducted this video.
Rating: 
Summary: Dance-5 stars; staging-1
Review: I bought this ballet because I wanted to round out my Nutcracker collection. I already own the Baryshnikov/American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet versions and, of the three, this is by far the weakest and least interesting. The party scene is way too busy, and the costumes for the adults are unattractive, to say the least. The adults lack personality, and the children are underplayed. The NYCB production comes off much better here, even with the presence of Macauley Culkin. Real children appear in that ballet; the ABT version uses some of its younger corps members. But both of the other versions have lots of color. The party guests also appear to be having fun! Robert LaFosse and Heather Watts (NYCB) and Gayle Young and Sallie Wilson (ABT) are much better as the party's hosts. The Kingdom of the Sweets falls way short. It is lavish, and the costumes are lush, but everything is colorless. The various dancers are almost indistinguishable from one another save for occasional touches like Russian boots and Spanish headscarves. Where are the candy canes? Where are Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles? Missing and very much missed. The dancing, however, is excellent, although Dowell is a fine danseur noble and excellent partner but does not have the good feet of Baryshnikov or young Ethan Stiefel. However, it could be Sleeping Beauty as far as anyone could tell who would be watching it without the music. The NYCB version is FAR superior. ABT's also is more watchable, although the ending is a little bizarre thanks to Baryshnikov's new interpretation. Unless you are a collector, do not buy this.
Rating:
Summary: Dance-5 stars; staging-1
Review: I bought this ballet because I wanted to round out my Nutcracker collection. I already own the Baryshnikov/American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet versions and, of the three, this is by far the weakest and least interesting. The party scene is way too busy, and the costumes for the adults are unattractive, to say the least. The adults lack personality, and the children are underplayed. The NYCB production comes off much better here, even with the presence of Macauley Culkin. Real children appear in that ballet; the ABT version uses some of its younger corps members. But both of the other versions have lots of color. The party guests also appear to be having fun! Robert LaFosse and Heather Watts (NYCB) and Gayle Young and Sallie Wilson (ABT) are much better as the party's hosts. The Kingdom of the Sweets falls way short. It is lavish, and the costumes are lush, but everything is colorless. The various dancers are almost indistinguishable from one another save for occasional touches like Russian boots and Spanish headscarves. Where are the candy canes? Where are Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles? Missing and very much missed. The dancing, however, is excellent, although Dowell is a fine danseur noble and excellent partner but does not have the good feet of Baryshnikov or young Ethan Stiefel. However, it could be Sleeping Beauty as far as anyone could tell who would be watching it without the music. The NYCB version is FAR superior. ABT's also is more watchable, although the ending is a little bizarre thanks to Baryshnikov's new interpretation. Unless you are a collector, do not buy this.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Nutcracker Videos, But I could complain!
Review: I really love this Royal Ballet Production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. The orchestra sounds much better than on the Baryshnikov version. The percussion section here could blow off the viewer's speakers. Now I can see why Svetlanov conducts in a slow pace here on this production: it's to bring out everything the orchestra has to offer and to fit the dancing and choreography. The complaint I have is that Mother Ginger is cut. Everything else is in there and I don't have to worry at all.Here's another problem: If only Gelsey Kirkland was on this video instead of the Baryshnikov one. She's more gorgeous looking than this girl who plays Clara here(I forgot what her name was). Gelsey Kirkland is more gorgeous looking than anybody else who played the role of Clara in a Nutcracker. I don't think there's anyone more gorgeous looking who played Clara. All the Nutcracker versions I've heard have a not-so-pretty looking girl who plays Clara. Come on directors, think pretty when you're talking about a character like Clara. If I were a director, I would. Everyone else looks fantastic. But the Clara, no way! Somebody should hire a really pretty looking Clara the next time they do a Nutcracker production, someone who looks more like Gelsey Kirkland!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I received this video from my Grandfather for Christmas several years ago and absolutely love it. I watch it every Christmas along with many other versions of the Nutcracker. Anthony Dowell and Lesley Collier are a sheer delight as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. Julie Rose is also very good as Clara. I would highly recommend this video to all ballet lovers. Donna M. Adank
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I received this video from my Grandfather for Christmas several years ago and absolutely love it. I watch it every Christmas along with many other versions of the Nutcracker. Anthony Dowell and Lesley Collier are a sheer delight as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. Julie Rose is also very good as Clara. I would highly recommend this video to all ballet lovers. Donna M. Adank
Rating:
Summary: This Particular Production Fizzled Out
Review: The Royal Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker" was filmed live at Covent Garden in 1985. The choreography is by Peter Wright, after the original by Lev Ivanov. The story is based on E.T.A. Hoffman's book, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." This ballet features wonderful music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The principal dancers are: Lesley Collier as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Anthony Dowell as the Prince, and Julie Rose as Clara. A libretto is provided for those not familiar with the story. The promotional copy states: "This new production by Artistic Director of Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, Peter Wright, with the help of Tchaikovsky ballet expert, Roland John Wiley, attempts to rescue from far-flung archives surviving evidence of the original Ivanov/Sergeyev staging, combined with some captivating modern stage techniques." The ballet begins well, as the opening scenes in act one are quite tastefully done and include many nice theatrical touches. Julie Rose is very cute in her role as Clara. One highlight is the part where her jealous brother tries to arrest the Nutcracker doll from her. She manages to elude him for awhile with her playful dancing. As the ballet progresses, there is an interesting battle scene with good detail where the Nutcracker defeats the Mouse King. By this point, Peter Wright's production has begun to look very promising! Unfortunately, this production afterwards begins to fizzle out with a mediocre corps routine in the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" during the last scene of act one. After the curtain rises for act two, golden-winged angels perform a dance of Russian folk tradition. They do not glide the way that the angels do in the New York City Ballet's production. During the scene in the Kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy, there are a number of disappointing divertissements. They are not bad, but they don't inspire, either. My interest finally began to become rekindled with the appearance of Lesley Collier, but each time that her dancing would begin to satisfy, I would then again become disinterested by some instances of unmusical choreography in her routine. Also, many of the costumes in this scene are unbecoming. The dancers all have white hair--it makes the men look like English barristers, and the women like very old ladies. Usually, the Royal Ballet does a fine job with the costumes, but this production seems to be an exception. One nice thing about this production, however, is that it is fit for the family to view. A few of the other notable productions, such as Baryshnikov's with American Ballet Theatre and the Kirov Ballet's with Larissa Lezhnina, include a few puzzling sections that would be problematic to explain to a perceptive and inquisitive child. Other productions worthy of consideration for viewing by the whole family are the New York City Ballet's version with Darci Kistler and Macauley Culkin, and the Bolshoi's production with Ekaterina Maximova. Some critics have said that the music alone is worth the price of admission. There is a certain amount of truth in that saying, and you can't go all that wrong by purchasing this version. But, a well-danced version of "The Nutcracker" is undoubtedly worthy of a five-star rating, and this production does not satisfy the way that some others do. Therefore, I recommend also considering the other versions of this ballet that are available through Amazon.com.
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