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.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful first section, BORING "Land of Sweets"
Review: This version of "The Nutcracker" starts so delightfully that the completely boring sections after the fight with the mice make it seem that you are watching two different ballets. The "Land of the Sweets" is done in whites and golds - ALL THE COSTUMES. The makeup even looks almost like clown white makeup. The fun sections with the Spanish, Russian etc. dances turn out dull and with no color in the costumes not worth watching. The Nutcracker Prince in his red costume is the only hint of real color and he looks terrible out of place in the general color scheme. Missing are the delightful Mother Ginger, Arab dance and peppermint sticks of the New York City version. For the most satisfying version, I recommend the wonderful New York City Ballet by far. There is really no comparison with this sterile, bland production. If you do get this Royal Ballet version, turn it off after the fight with the mice.
Rating:
Summary: good at the beginning but then . . .
Review: We got this video to watch with our children at Christmas time. My children love the first half of the performance, but after that, they ask me to turn it off. They miss the dance of the peppermints and Mother Ginger and get bored watching Lesley Collier dance again, and again, and again. Perhaps people came to see her dance, but it seems to me that the story gets lost in the end of this performance in such a long feature of the prima donna.
Rating:
Summary: good at the beginning but then . . .
Review: We got this video to watch with our children at Christmas time. My children love the first half of the performance, but after that, they ask me to turn it off. They miss the dance of the peppermints and Mother Ginger and get bored watching Lesley Collier dance again, and again, and again. Perhaps people came to see her dance, but it seems to me that the story gets lost in the end of this performance in such a long feature of the prima donna.
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