The Nutcracker, The Royal Ballet 16/12/2009

I think it is probably impossible not to enjoy the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker, which is probably why it is wheeled out every Christmas to a consistently packed auditorium. The performance I saw was a perfect concoction of festive, glittering gaiety, with some impeccable dancing and fantastic staging.

The first act takes place during the Stahlbaum family Christmas party, with the mysterious cloak-whirling magician Drosselmeyer (Gary Avis) arriving to give the young Clara (Iohna Loots) her christmas present - a nutcracker doll. Some wonderful character acting here from the inimitable Gary Avis, and from young Thomas Bedford as Fritz, Clara's brother. The whole Royal Ballet, from lower school through upper school to company is involved in this bustling party spectacle.

Of course, there is more to this nutcracker than meets the eye, and in fact, this is Drosselmeyer's nephew, turned into a doll by the wicked Queen of the mice, and the gift to Clara is Drosselmeyer's attempt to break the enchantment. After bedtime, the magic starts, a battle with the mice ensues, and the Nutcracker (Ricardo Cervera) takes Clara on a magical adventure through the Land of snow and the Kingdom of sweets. The national dances, including the entirely non-PC chinese dance, were thoroughly enjoyable although the Mirlitons lacked the oomph that had been evident so far, and just didn't quite get it right. Into the garden and Laura Morera danced with her usual commanding stage presence as the Rose Fairy, although unfortunately her escorts (Valeri Hristov, Ernst Meisner, Sergei Polunin and Yohei Sasaki) seemed to be having trouble staying in time both with each other and with the orchestra! In days gone by, in older productions, Clara and the Nutcracker hardly danced in Act II,  but in the revised production (which has been in use since 1999) the vibrant dancing of Iohna Loots and Ricardo Cervera is a delight, and keeps everything together in this act, weaving in and out of the dances as they join in some dances and watch in awe during others...

And never in more awe than when the Sugar Plum Fairy (Alina Cojocaru - pictured) and her Prince (Johan Kobborg) take to the stage. Dancing with such authority and flair both alone and together, these two really are one of the strongest partnerships around at the moment - I'm so happy Cojocaru is back from her injuries! I still can't quite get used to her with a blonde wig, but the Grand pas de deux had such energy and radiance that you couldn't tear your eyes from the stage.

The Nutcracker really is a festive treat, and an outing that is going to become a fixture in my Christmas calendar for years to come, particularly if I can see a lead cast as strong as this one every time.