December 6th Matinee of The Nutcracker at NYC Ballet

Poster for this year's 60th Anniversary of 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker'.

This is the 60th anniversary of 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker' which was first produced in February, 1954.  Maria Tallchief and Nicholas Magallanes were the Sugarplum and her Cavalier and Tanaquil Le Clercq was the Dewdrop.  Michael Arshansky played Herr Drosselmeier.

The end of the Party Scene in the 1954 production with Michael Arshansky, Paul Nickel and Roberta Grant.
Photo by Frederick Melton from the Dance Division of the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts

Every year as part of our holiday season we take our nephew and his wife and daughter to see 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker' performed by New York City Ballet.  Because it is always sold out, to get decent seats we order the tickets in mid-summer.  So you always get luck-of-the-draw on casting.

SATURDAY MATINEE, DECEMBER 6, 2:00 PM
(Conductor: Otranto)
SUGARPLUM: Pereira; CAVALIER: De Luz; DEWDROP: Reichlen; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Suozzi;
MARZIPAN: Dronova; HOT CHOCOLATE: Muller, Scordato; COFFEE: Mann; TEA: *Bachman; CANDY CANE: Ball;
MOTHER GINGER: Thew; FLOWERS: King, Laracey; DOLLS: Villwock, Adams; SOLDIER: Hoxha;
MOUSE KING: Sanz; DR & FRAU STAHLBAUM: Arthurs, Catazaro

On paper this was not a cast that I was thrilled with, but in the theater they were remarkably good.

In general, the lighting cues sometimes seemed to be out of sync with the Tschaikovsky music emanating from the pit and the pace of the production on stage.  Clotilde Otranto conducted at a brisk pace throughout, keeping the ballet moving forward, but sacrificing nuance for impetus.

In the first act, the School of American Ballet students in the party scene seemed a bit stiff and lacking in spontaneity -- although Sawyer Reo as Fritz, the naughty little brother was outstanding.  I don't believe I've ever been so aware that the motivation for his outbursts is that his older sister Marie is getting all of the presents and attention.  By the way, Marie's party dress has turned a nasty shade of slush grey and needs to be renewed or replaced.  Zachary Catazaro as Dr. Stahlbaum, the host, seemed too flamboyant, but Faye Arthurs as Frau Stahlbaum looked gorgeous and played the concerned mother and hostess perfectly.  Sean Suozzi's Herr Drosselmeier didn't have enough eccentricity or mystery or flamboyance to carry him convincingly into the vital transition scene between the party and the battle of the mice.

Balanchine's snow scene is so exquisitely designed that even indifferent dancing can never bring it down.  Here the dancing by the 16 snowflakes was brilliant -- etching Balanchine's patterns with crystalline perfection.  Bravo, women of the corps (including the four SAB apprentices)!

The final moments of the Act I Snow Scene as the Little Prince and Princess walk among the Snowflakes.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Act II opens with 12 of the youngest SAB students as tiny Angels. Balanchine understood how to give children steps and patterns that were effective on stage, but not too difficult to learn and perform.  Here the little girls floated across the stage in skimming steps that looked effortless.  Even the tricky criss-crossing diagonals didn't phase them -- they stayed in line and in motion without any hesitations or collisions.

Students from the School of American Ballets as Angels in 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Erica Pereira's solo as the Sugarplum was well danced, but she lacks empathy with her adoring 'court' of little angels -- the eye contact and flirtatious interactions that the best Sugarplums create with them was missing.

Philip Henry Duclos as the Little Prince didn't quite pull together the mimed passage recounting the battle with the mice to get the audience ovation that it often receives.

Hot Chocolate, lead by Gwyneth Muller and Andrew Scordato, seemed merely proficient, without the flash and panache that this Spanish-flavored divertissement should have.  Meagan Mann had the right sensuality for Coffee and used the music's pulse effectively.

A highlight of the divertissements was Austin Bachman's debut in Tea.  His split jumps were astonishing and rightly cheered by the audience.  Harrison Ball lead the Candy Canes with a sense of confidence and brio, but missed the mischievous quality that can make this part especially appealing.

Alina Dronova as the lead Marzipan Shepherdess is a proficient dancer, but almost totally devoid of stage presence.  Fortunately, my eyes kept straying to Megan Johnson and Sara Adams who looked especially lovely in her backup shepherdess quartet.

Joshua Thew nicely underplayed the role of Mother Ginger and didn't distract from the dancing of the eight little Polichinelles that emerge from her giant hoop skirt.  I'm sure that their parents appreciated him ceding the spotlight to their little darlings.

The Waltz of the Flowers is the other Balanchine choreographic masterpiece in 'The Nutcracker'.  With Teresa Reichlen's sparkling Dewdrop, Lauren King and Ashley Laracey as the graceful demi-soloists, and a lovely bouquet of twelve corps flowers it was danced with clarity and musicality.  Reichlen has the technical prowess and stamina for the Dewdrop.  More importantly, she imbues it with daring musical freedom -- sustaining balances, curling through pirouettes, challenging the boundaries of time and space with exploding leaps and grand jetes. 

Teresa Reichlen as Dewdrop with corps in Waltz of the Flowers.  Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes

In the grand pas de deux for the Sugarplum and her Cavalier, Erica Pereira was joined by Joaquin De Luz.  Erica is a wonderful partner for Joaquin (who has temporarily lost his regular Sugarplum, Megan Fairchild, to the Broadway revival of 'On the Town').  Erica is slender and petite with a dark beauty that complements Joaquin's short stature and fiery Latin demeanor.

They carried off the difficult adagio with assurance -- missing the timing on the second multiple supported pirouette into backbend, but doing a beautiful arabesque and balance on the slide across the back of the stage and ending with a lovely promenade into Erica's unsupported balance followed by a spectacular fishdive.  Joaquin's performed his variation with extraordinary precision and panache.  Erica's circle of pique turns into Joaquin's waiting arms showed finesse, daring and exquisite timing.

The final coda, which brings all of the characters from the Act II 'Land of the Sweets' back for brief reprises, is always lots of fun.  It gives the Dewdrop one last chance to show off a beautiful series of pirouettes into arabesque and the Sugarplum and her Cavalier a few more bravura lifts before the Little Prince and Princess are sent flying off in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.

The Little Prince & Princess depart in the sleigh in the final scene of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.

Since we used to see 'The Nutcracker' twice each season, we've probably seen this production at least 75 times since 1967.  With Tschaikovsky's lovely music, Balanchine's indelible choreography, and casts of dancers at every stage of development -- from beginning students to seasoned principals -- it is always a wonderful holiday treat.