After battling with crowds of bargain hunters at the Black Friday sales, settling down to watch English National Ballet's world premiere of, 'The Nutcracker' was the perfect antidote.
This sumptuous production has been choreographed by the Artistic Director of English National Ballet, Aaron S Watkin, and Arielle Smith and is truly a box of delights.
I am currently directing a play with ten cast members and was in awe at the huge feat of choreographing a company of dancers at a busy Christmas market, or the hustle and bustle of guests enjoying the Stahlbaums' Christmas Eve party, as well as the tranquil scene representing a snow globe when Clara and the Prince meet the Ice Queen and lastly the mesmerising dancing of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her buttercream roses is extraordinary.
The ballet is loosely based on the original story by E.T.A. Hoffman and composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
We are introduced to the sweet shop owner, Drosselmeyer, right at the beginning of the ballet. He is also a toymaker and whilst finishing off some toys with the help of his ghostly looking elvish assistants he decides to use his magic skills to turn a toy Prince into a nutcracker.
In the evening he attends the Christmas Eve party hosted by the Stahlbaums and gives out toys to the children. Clara Stahlbaum had admired the toy nutcracker earlier in the day when she went into the shop with her mother and is delighted when she opens her present.
When the guests have gone to bed Clara sneaks downstairs to find her Nutcracker and falls asleep on the sofa by the majestic Christmas tree.
Drosselmeyer appears casting spells to distort space and time and Clara wakes at midnight. From here a fantastical journey begins.
Clara has grown up and is suddenly not in the comfort of the drawing room but in the middle of a battle between a human sized Nutcracker and Rat King, symbolising the evil looking cheese shop owner, Uromys Grimeswer. The Nutcracker is wounded by Grimeswer's sword and Clara then kills the evil rodent.
The set changes throughout are slick and instead of being at a castle Clara and her Prince find themselves in an icy wonderland, with icicles adorning the scene and snow gently falling.
You could really feel the chill in the air!
Adorned with a tall silver crown the beautiful Ice Queen, Isolde, dances with her icicles and snowflakes swirling beautifully round the stage. This scene literally took my breath away, and a wow moment was when an ice seahorse flies through the air with the two lovers nestled in a silver carriage.
Next stop, the Land of Sweets and Delights and this scene did indeed delight.
Some of the guests at the Christmas Eve Party become dancing sweets and the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Coqueluche represent Clara's mother and father.
Six medieval style tents are placed around the stage each with a topper to identify them, for example, the liquorice tent has liquorice allsorts, the Tanghulu tent red fruits on a stick.
The sweets perform their own dance. The audience were delighted by the bubbly group of young children dressed as liqourice allsorts hurrying through their tent, smiling from ear to ear and joined in their dancing by Bertie Bassett.
I also loved the graceful, elegant dance of the dancers representing the Middle Eastern hot drink, Sahlab. Assisted out of a silver tea cup a female dancer in cream with large blonde curls represents whisked milk and she is twirled round and lifted by two male dancers in brown full length leotards with head pieces made to look like cinnamon sticks.
I felt tears run down my face twice. Firstly, during the Waltz of the Snowflakes when choristers from The Pilgrims' School Chamber Choir sang the melody. I think a treble voice is the most pure and beautiful sound and always makes me emotional.
Then, I welled up again when the Sugar Plum Fairy dances the Pas de Deux in Act II with her Prince. It must have been the mix of the stunning music the endearing and tangible bond between these two principal dancers and their grace.
Dick Bird, the Set and Costume Designer is simply a genius. I loved the similarities between Drosselmeyer and Willy Wonka.
Junor Souza clearly revelled in playing the flamboyant sweet shop owner and toy maker.
Dressed in red waistcoat, pin striped trousers, black top hat he looks the typical Edwardian gentleman and the red tail coat adds a stunning swirling effect.
Uromys Grimsewer the menacing cheese shop owner could be mistaken for Fagin, again in top hat and tails but grey and flanked by his pickpockets who become street mice and rats.
Two of my favourite costumes were the buttercream roses - the skirts were made of white and pink ombre petals and a single large rosebud, and the Sugar Plum Fairy's lilac and gold tutu was just exquisite
I must mention the special effects and lighting.
Using projected images to create colourful, moving bands of colour, as if they had appeared from a wand, when Drosselmeyer performs his magic was stunning and the shadows of rats scurrying across the top of the door frame and the image of a rat becoming the life size Rat King was incredible.
The English National Balket Philharmonic under the direction of Maria Seletskaja, produced a phenomenal sound. Listen out for the flutes during The Waltz of the Snowflakes creating an icy sound.
I wished it wouldn't come to an end but have decided that I will endeavour to make it a tradition to see, 'The Nutcracker' every year.
Don't miss this spellbinding production, I can guarantee that if you weren't feeling the Christmas Spirit quite yet this magical ballet will make that possible.
To see this production on tour visit https://www.ballet.org.uk/
For more shows at the Mayflower visit https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/
