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Review: The Nutcracker (Royal Albert Hall)

Review by Sam Waite

 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

 

Alongside hitmakers from Carey to Clarkson, Wham to Wizzard, one of the most recognisable sounds of the festive season comes courtesy of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Oft-parodied and even more frequently used verbatim in TV, film and advertising, his score for The Nutcracker is a staple of the winter months, and sounds appropriately lush as the Birmingham Royal Ballet bring their production of The Nutcracker to the Royal Albert Hall.

 


With moments of pre-recorded narration to keep the audience in the loop, The Nutcracker opens on Christmas eve with dollmaker Herr Drosselmeyer joining a bustling party to make gifts of his myriad “automatons.” Alongside the many dolls given to the children in attendance, he gifts his goddaughter Clara with the titular Nutcracker, and her brother Fritz with the infamous Rat King. When Clara sneaks downstairs during her sleepless night, she finds to her delight that her own doll has become a handsome prince, and to her horror that Fritz’s Rat King has also come to life.

 

Adapted from a pre-existing short story and intended as family entertainment, The Nutcracker is narratively light, and this production has been shaped with a clear understanding of spectacle’s place in the performance. From a Christmas tree seemingly growing out of nowhere, to giant baubles descending from the Albert Hall’s ceiling, to a flurry of snow falling across the stage and into the audience, there is a sense of wonderment that permeates every moment. These set-pieces, from designer Dick Bird, help create an immersive and thrilling environment, creating a sense of intimacy even within the Hall’s grandeur.

 


These touches of grandeur and whimsy also extend to John Macfarlane’s costumes, with bright flourishes and vibrant looks which evoke delight and awe while managing to sidestep many of the trademarks that have given way to weighty discussions around the second act’s “cultural dances” in recent years. Most effective in utilising the sheer scale of the venue are the projections designed by 59 Productions, and lighting work from Peter Teigen. Sketches of the various automatons flank the orchestra while each comes forwards to perform their fantastical dance, giving way to spectacular snowstorms at other moments. Teigen’s lighting is softer at points, adding a subtle hue to scenes or a gentleness to Clara’s magical adventure, but at others creates almost dominating images overhead, cementing a sense of confidence and stature for some of the automatons.

 

With Sofia Liñares dancing the role of Clara at the Tuesday night performance, it’s impossible to deny the sheer talent of this company of dancers. No easier is it to fault the glorious musicians of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Thomas Jung and sounding marvellous atop the stage while the action takes place beneath them. With more than fifty musicians, the Royal Albert Hall is a fitting locale for the score, and Tchaikovsky’s music played by an orchestra of this stature would be worth the visit alone – however, thanks to the talents of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the musicians are far from the only reason to attend.


 

Liñares dances the leading role wonderfully, and Yasiel Hodelín Bello is on fine form as the Nutcracker/Prince who transports her to the Land of Snow. Wardrobed in a magnificent red coat and voiced in narration by Simon Callow, Drosselmeyer is brought to vibrant life by Gabriel Anderson, while Céline Gittens was glorious as the evening’s Sugar Plum Fairy. Frankly, I could sit and name dancers all day, so faultless was the company, but ultimately the final name that must be mentioned is Louis Andreason dancing the role of the Rat King, bringing a real sense of threat toward the end of act one, and of course Sofia Liñares must be heralded again for her delicate, immaculately danced Clara.

 

The choreography, a collaborative effort from Peter Wright and Vincent Redmon, drawing from the work of the late Lev Ivanov, is spritely, characterful, and endlessly impressive. Just as the audience are allowed to bask in strong character work, perhaps thinking those steps weren’t quite so difficult, a dancer will leap across the stage and remind us of the sheer technical skill on display. As the plot-light second act settles into a series of performances by Drosselmeyer’s myriad automatons, so does the house fall ever more silent as the crowd watches in wonderment while each dancer proves themselves to be as endlessly talented as the last, all making their mark and earning round after round of well-deserved applause.

 


The Nutcracker has long been a staple of the holiday season, its score and imagery as synonymous with the winter months as Christmas trees or the very concept of snow. With this brief stint at the Royal Albert Hall, the Birmingham Royal Ballet prove exquisitely why this is so, and why it is unlikely to change in the decades to come. A masterful score accompanied by a charming, easily followed story, The Nutcracker packs in all the whimsical joy of the season alongside ample opportunities for skilled dancers to showcase their abilities, in an always welcome, always welcoming festive delight.

 

The Nutcracker played at the Royal Albert Hall from December 29th to December 31st 2025

 

 

Photos by Anabel Moeller

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