Nutcracker! (Tour – Oxford)

I will admit that, the first time I went to see a production of The Nutcracker, I fell asleep before the end of the first act and went home at the interval. Luckily the same thing did not happen during this performance of Nutcracker! – Matthew Bourne’s witty reimagining of this iconic ballet.

Bourne has always had a flair for reinventing the classics – his most successful piece being the all-male Swan Lake that has wowed audiences round the world for many years. Nutcracker! Is a lighter, frothier confection with a few of the twists that fans of Bourne’s work will recognise immediately.

In many ways, this is faultless production. The dancing is, as you would expect, near perfect – there is total commitment from the cast to their roles and the acting of a very high standard. The narrative and characters emerge effortlessly and are well served by an excellent set, outstanding costumes and some brilliant lighting. It is hard to pick out highlights from the evening but I have to say that Daniel Collins (Frizt and Prince Bon-Bon) nearly steals the show from Clara and the Nutcracker with his very naughty and knowing performance!

So far so good, you might think. However I did miss something – and that is live music. For me ballet is about the coming together of the dancers and the musicians and whilst I can appreciate that the budgetary constraints make it very difficult to tour with a full orchestra, having the performance performed to a backing track (albeit of very high quality) meant that the evening does not quite come fully to life.

It is still a great piece of modern dance theatre – and one that can be enjoyed by novices and those more experienced in the world of ballet. Bourne has created a mini classic and one that will probably be enjoyed for years to come.