The Nutcracker by Birmingham Royal Ballet

Rory Mackay as Drosselmeyer

A cracking ballet that you would be nuts to miss! Have you guessed what it is yet? Yes, it is the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s festive classic, The Nutcracker. Returning to the Birmingham Hippodrome after extensive rebuilding of the sets, this beautiful ballet is a wonderful start to the Christmas season.

Karla Doorbar as Clara

As we followed Clara through her family’s Christmas Eve festivities we were treated not only to mesmerising ballet, but also a magical performance, stunning costumes and scenery that brought the whole experience to life. These only became more so as we followed Clara through her journey to the lands of snow and sweets and home again. Whether being attacked by rats, flying on a snow white swan or being transformed into the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara led us into a world of imagination fuelled by the beauty of what was laid out on stage before us.

For those who know The Nutcracker, you will not be disappointed, as the storyline is true to Sir Peter Wright’s original production which was gifted to the people of Birmingham. And the people came to receive it, as the cavernous Hippodrome Theatre was virtually full to capacity. However, it was this popularity, as well as the many other events going on in Birmingham (as well as some unfortunate roadworks) that nearly resulted in us missing the first act due to a severe lack of parking spaces. So, my advice? Book now. Leave home early. Park a bit further away than you normally would. Have a walk through Birmingham as it lights up for Christmas. Get lost in a magical world.

Special thanks to Birmingham Royal Ballet for inviting us along to review the show.

Photo credit to Bill Cooper

https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/brb-nutcracker-22/#performances

This show is perfect for families and BRB offers some special packages:

Young people can watch The Nutcracker for as little as £15.25 with the Family Offer. available at someTuesday to Friday performances, Under-16s tickets pay half the price of an accompanying full-price paying adult.

Comments

Review of Gangsta Granny by Heartbreak Productions.

In 10 years time, my children won’t specifically remember the occasions that I picked them up from school, cooked our favourite pasta dish or watched their swimming lesson. But they will remember some of things that we did that were out of the ordinary. They will remember some of the memories that we made together. As we headed out of the door on Friday evening, I knew we were making memories. I was just hoping it wasn’t going to be because the whole family had got soaked to the skin sitting in a park on a Friday night watching a play. We had a flask full of hot chocolate, a box of malteasers and some large umbrellas borrowed from a neighbour. We were heading to a Heartbreak Productions outdoor show in Walsall Arboretum. It was pretty exciting heading out in the evening and walking through an empty park to get to the bandstand where the show was being staged. When I told Little Lady what we were going to see, she was extremely excited. In fact, we all were because ...

Ocean Odyssey in Times Square

Hitting New York as a family, we were full of excitement and anticipation. We were waiting outside a store for it to open at 9am! We took selfies and videos of the famous sites in Times Square. But soon after that legs were tired. Temperatures were rising and humidity was close to 50%. It was with a sigh of relief that we entered the cool of National Geographic Encounter. Little people will only walk so far and look at so many famous buildings. Ocean Odyssey is an immersive experience that uses the latest technology to take you under the ocean. Our expectations were high as we ‘took the dive’ to our first location- the shallows of the South Pacific. Fish swam under our feet and adults and children jumped around as the creatures interacted with us. Jellyfish responded as we moved our arms and got up close. We loved the fact that Ocean Odyssey isn’t a show that you sit back and watch but an experience that you can interact with. Those tired little legs suddenly weren’t tired anymore...

I didn’t plan a six year age gap between my girls. Once Little Lady‘s first birthday had passed, it was time to try again for a second baby. I knew it was going to take a while because it had been a long road the first time. As I had packed away each set of baby clothes all clean and labelled with ages, I had prayed that I would be able to use them again. When I actually discovered that I was pregnant again for the second time, it was coming up to Little Lady’s sixth birthday. I was in a state of delighted shock and struggled to believe it could be true. I paid for a scan around seven weeks because I just needed to see that there was actually an embryo inside, growing and safely beating away. Thank goodness for my morning sickness confirming that it was all true! We had left the baby stage behind long ago. Now we were able to leave the house with just a set of keys in our pocket. We had envisaged having children close together, them playing with the same toys and being b...

Capable Child

Search This Blog