Review: The Nutcracker, Birmingham Royal Ballet at Birmingham Hippodrome
Christmas is a bit like Agadoo and The Birdie Song. Fine for the little ‘uns.
But should grumpy grown-ups really be enjoying a festival that celebrates a fat bloke in a beard with a rather garish fashion sense?
And surely it can’t be right to fetishise the humble stocking to such an extent that we stuff them with nuts and toys, instead of the more appropriate foot?
But there are is still a reason why the festive season is a must in Birmingham.
Christmas is Nutcracker time. When Birmingham Royal Ballet gives the punters exactly what they want.
And what they want is that cosy Crimbo feeling, fairy tale magic and lush, velvety music.
The Nutcracker delivers on all fronts. Tchaikovsky’s score is as transcendental as ever, and the dancers do its flighty, faraway tunes the justice they deserve.
Robert Parker, as Drosselmeyer the magician, has more charisma than Gandalf and Dumbledore rolled into one. You can see he’s having a lot of fun whipping and swirling his cloak. Nao Sakuma is her usual noble, yet vulnerable, self as the Sugar Plum Fairy.
And, of course, this being The Nutcracker, even the sets and special effects receive a hearty round of applause.
Most of the audience will have seen it all before, but that doesn’t matter.
Christmas, at its best, is about ancient and well-loved traditions.
And there can be no better tradition than BRB’s The Nutcracker. A must for children and adults alike.
* (Until Dec 11). www.birminghamhippodrome.com/nutcracker
