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Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker

Photo Credit Bella Kotak

What a treat! Seeing Birmingham Royal Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker was a great start to the festive season. The Hippodrome was full for the first performance of this classic yuletide tale. The curtain rose to an impressive Christmas Eve scene complete with a giant Christmas tree. “I want a tree like that,” whispered my husband.

The costumes in this production were a delight - some clever, some beautiful and all intricate. The dresses and tutus looked amazing as the ballerinas danced. However, it was some of the more unusual costumes which we loved most: the ‘Jack in the Box’ costume with enormous springy trousers worked brilliantly as the dancer sprang around the stage. The Rat King’s costume was also eerily realistic and when his tail got trapped in the cage as he was captured the audience winced.

Photo Credit Bill Cooper

If you haven’t been to a ballet before, the fact that there are no words spoken throughout creates a certain serenity to the performance and allows the music and dance to tell the story brilliantly. The full orchestra was impressive. Currently pregnant with my second child, the baby certainly thought so as she wriggled and pushed as the deep bass notes sounded.

It’s hard to pick a favourite part of performance but my family were wowed by the start of the second act. Clara flew across the stage on a giant bird to the magical land created by Drosselmeyer. The dancing that followed in this magical land was impressive. The Chinese and Russian dances were bouncy, clever and humourous. But clearly the audience was waiting for the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and it did not disappoint.

Photo Credit Roy Smiljanic


For children who love ballet, a visit to see this full-scale production of The Nutcracker would be very special. Seeing over 60 skilled dancers taking to the stage creates a certain amount of awe. To see other children dancing on the stage during the Christmas eve party at Clara’s house may encourage them in their own dance. We loved seeing Clara’s cheeky younger brother getting into trouble with his dad!

Photo Credit Bill Cooper

As we walked out of The Hippodrome we overhead the comment, “I can’t believe it’s over for another year.” Clearly, this was a Christmas tradition that this family enjoyed together. I can see why. The ballet is timeless and enjoyable in so many different ways. It has been part of the Christmas season in Birmingham for over 27 years. If your family are looking for a Christmas tradition, an annual trip to watch The Nutcracker would be a great place to start.

Special thanks to Birmgham Royal Ballet for inviting us to their press night performance.
The Nutcracker runs at Birmingham Hippodrome until 13thDecember and is suitable for ages 5+
https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/the-nutcracker-2018/
 
Photo Credit Andrew Ross

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