The Australian Ballet School: Nutcracker – The Gift of a Dream

The Australian Ballet School: Nutcracker – The Gift of a Dream -
Melbourne Arts Centre, 13 December -

This is the fourth time I have seen Leigh Rowles’ delightful version of The Nutcracker and it can safely be said that it has stood the test of time. It is a great show for adults and children alike.  It offers clean, pure fun and plenty of vignettes in a variety of styles, giving the young dancers many opportunities to show themselves and try out different roles as they progress through the school. There have been some minor changes over the years (the fat suits for the Mousettes are a scream) and all have worked to enhance the original concept. This is definitely one of the best things, if not the best, in the Australian Ballet School’s repertoire.

It is also good to see children just being allowed to dance as children, a delight to watch and free of the kinds of inappropriate costumes and behaviour forced onto them by some commercial dance schools.

The party scene in Act I is one of the best anywhere, with Drosselmeyer danced by David Power, who impressed both by his stage presence and his dancing.  Power was firmly in charge of proceedings and managed enough mystery and magic without needing to introduce any sinister overtones.  It is refreshing that Fritz is not portrayed as the stereotypical wicked boy out to torment his sister. Lynette Wills, as the mother, could not help but draw all eyes to her whenever she was on stage through her superb acting. But it is the whole party scene which is choreographed in a consistently involving and entertaining manner without the flat spots which can arise in other productions. Maybe it is the unremitting attention to detail and nice individual touches in even the smallest moments that ensure one’s attention never lags. And the Mousettes, scarcely the stuff of nightmares in their fat suits, are brilliant with their rock star double decker Mouse Queen (Tene Ward and Dominic Possingham) who manages to execute some ballet steps before being defeated by Clara stomping on her foot.

The Nutcracker doll found a great interpreter in Paolo Cini who used his very expressive face to advantage. But it is the Young Clara, danced by Mathilda Ballantyne, who is consistently the star of this show with her overall quality of movement and acting, and her beautifully soft feet. One to watch.

The Snowflakes and Icicles (a good touch to have girls and boys in the scene) did justice to a beautifully choreographed scene, while the transition into the older Clara (the delicate Sophie Morgan) and the Nutcracker Prince (Callum Linnane) always works well in this production. I particularly enjoyed Callum Linnane’s mime sequence describing the defeat of the Mouse Queen.

All the Act II divertissements were good, with Yipeng Xu a stand out in the Spanish, while Sally Kaack made a wonderfully sinuous snake on her rolling human carpet. The Chinese trio were excellently matched, while the Russian trepak was filled with infectious bravado. Mother Hubbard (Sean Kiley) with her vast brood was a great comic act, and the French couples, young and older, acquitted themselves well.

Shaun Andrews, as Sugar Plum’s cavalier, showed good elevation and strength, while Mei Ishibashi, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, showed a nice soft quality in her arms and épaulement along with technical assurance. However, it is scarcely possible to improve on the original Sugar Plum choreography so anything else will always suffer in comparison.

The Coda is good in its eruption of colour and movement but I have always had reservations about the closing duet cum trio between Clara, the Nutcracker Prince and Drosselmeyer, despite some lovely dancing from all three. To me, however, it introduces a jarring note, its more adult themes and sentiments somehow out of keeping with the rest.

But that is a minor quibble in what is overall an excellent show which deserves longevity.


- Irina Kuzminsky