The Nutcracker Ballet, Royal Opera House

On the 4th January 2017, I went, with my family, to watch the ballet production of 'The Nutcracker' at the Royal Opera House. It was the first time that I have watched a ballet, despite going to many plays in the West End, such as 'Matilda' and 'Les Misérables', so it was a new experience for me.

'The Nutcracker' begins in the house of the Stahlbaums, where a Christmas party is taking place. Drosselmeyer, a magician, has been invited as a friend of the family to entertain the guests, and when at the party he gives a Nutcracker Doll to the Strahlbaums daughter, Clara, who is delighted with the present, but is made fun of due to the Nutcrackers ugly appearance. Not known to anyone at the party, apart from Drosselmeyer, is that the doll is actually Hans-Peter, his magician's nephew, who was transformed into it by the Mouse Queen, as an act of revenge against Drosselmeyer. To break the spell, the Nutcracker would have to slay the Mouse King and for a young girl to love him despite his looks. The magician saw this as a great opportunity for his nephew to be freed as Clara is only a little younger than the man, and he asks a Christmas Angel aid her in this task.

When everyone has gone to bed, Clara heads downstairs to find her Nutcracker and finds Drosselmeyer waiting for her, who then turns the room into a battlefield and summons the Mouse King using his magic. In the battle between the mice and the toy soldiers, the Nutcracker manages to kill the Mouse King, but only because of the help of Clara who saves his life due to her care for him. Once he has been reverted back into his true human form, the two dance together and end up in the Land of Snow. Drosselmeyer then sends them to the Kingdom of Sweets where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. They are entertained by many different dancers, courtesy of Drosselmeyer, to reward their bravery.

Once they go back to reality, Clara runs out of her house in the search of the magician and meets a strangely familiar young man (Hans-Peter, who was once the Nutcracker). His nephew then returns to his uncle's workshop, proving that the spell has been broken.

I particularly liked the costumes of the characters, as I thought they had been thought out very well. Drosselmeyer, the Nutcracker, Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince all had distinct costumes, so they stood out from the rest of the characters. Drosselmeyer was dressed in blue, which is seen as a magical colour, making his character immediately distinguishable. The Nutcracker had a red uniform, which was different to the other toy soldiers, and Clara wore a flowing, white dress, which symbolised her innocence and youth. The Sugar Plum Fairy's costume was particularly embellished and she wore a tiara, with the same for the Prince except instead he wore a crown, so they were easily identified also.

A criticism that I found, was that the same dancer was used for Clara when she was in her home, and also in the Kingdom of Sweets. I think that it would be more helpful for the audience if there was a younger girl for when she was at home, as then she would seem more like her supposed age, which is the same as the other children. However it doesn't seem that way at first due to the height different and obvious age difference between the actors, so initially I found it hard, and I don't think I would have realised so quickly if the costumes were not as good as they were.

I would definitely recommend it to others because, even with my little knowledge of ballet, I found it very enjoyable. I also particularly liked the orchestra and musical scores, as it helps to set the scene and for the audience to understand the mood of the scene effectively. If someone was to go to watch the ballet, I think it would be useful for them to read the story for 'The Nutcracker' before they watch it, and this is especially easy because leaflets are distributed in the foyer, as soon as you enter the Royal Opera House, which contains the story, so you can read it before the performance begins.

Watching the Nutcracker has shown me how large a role costume design influences the audiences initial perception of a performance, especially in ballet, as there is no speech involved, so a lot relies on how easily distinguishable the characters are from each other. It has also made me realise how much of ballet is reliant on mime and the music, as their movements tells the story of what is going on, with the music expressing most of the emotion and mood.