"The Nutcracker”
Olney Ballet Theatre
Olney Theatre Center
Olney, Maryland
December 22, 2007
“The Nutcracker”
Maryland Youth Ballet
Parilla Performing Arts Center
Montgomery College
Rockville, Maryland
December 23, 2007
by George Jackson
copyright 2007 by George Jackson
Waiting for friends from Europe in the Lincoln Center plaza on a sunny, windy and cool Saturday afternoon, Dec. 8, I couldn’t help but be aware of three rituals that are part of modern Christmas. Behind me was “Hansel and Gretel”, Humperdinck’s 1893 opera, snatches of which wafted out from a television monitor whenever someone opened a door to the Met’s lobby. To my right, around the New York State Theatre’s entrance, hawkers pushed tickets for “The Nutcracker”, the days’ second iteration of the ballet Balanchine made in 1954 to Tchaikovsky’s 1892 music. All around me, trundling bags and packages, people came from the season’s third and undoubtedly major family fetish – shopping. When my party of 4 arrived, not jet lagged and already started on sightseeing and the shopping, we had a late lunch, looked at Lincoln Center and decided that the older pair of tourists - an opera fan and a theater goer - would accompany me to the ballet that night; the younger pair wanted to hit the town. It turned out that New York City Ballet’s performance pleased my two companions, though I doubt that the experience will prompt them to attend more dance at home.
This season I’ve been to six different “Nuts”, as the ballet is nicknamed. That was unplanned, but I don’t regret the mini-binge. Indeed, I could have seen several more with a little forethought. Anyone interested in ballet would find something worthwhile in each of my half dozen. I used to love the Party Scene as it was done by NYCB. Balanchine’s account of 19th Century manners and personalities was Dickensian in detail and scrupulously musical. Today’s performances aren’t as rich or right. Drosselmeier (the printed program spells his name just like it is in Hoffmann’s story) no longer observes tasting protocol by sampling the first nut cracked himself; the girls have become almost as naughty as the boys; caricature has crept into the characterizations of the Grandparents and Drosselmeier; etc. Still, something of Balanchine’s particular view of well-to-do 19th Century family life persists. The other big “Nutcracker’ production, American Ballet Theatre’s, offered controversial casting*. I was familiar with Washington Ballet’s medium sized version but not with the theater in which it was being previewed*. The all-student cast of the Kirov Academy of Ballet’s plotless “Nutcracker Suite” showed exceptional panache in overcoming a mishap*. My last two “Nuts” were, like the Kirov Academy’s, smaller in scale. Both were in the Washington suburbs, one with professional guests (Olney) and the other another student performance (Maryland Youth).
Olney’s “Nutcracker” is the Mary Day visualization which has sentimental associations for Washington balletomanes. Once upon a time and for quite a spell it was the capital’s standard version as presented by the Washington Ballet. Patricia Berrend, artistic director of Olney Ballet Theatre, was Day’s ultimate repetiteur and has inherited the production rights. Now that the WB dances Septime Webre’s Americana version, some old timers commute up to Olney to treasure “Mary Day touches”- the little boy at the front door, locked out from the party; the Aunt with lots of spunk who leads the children’s games (when Chelsea Clinton did the role in a swept up hairdo, she looked like young Eleanor Roosevelt); the pearl necklace masquerading as a Christmas tree ornament; flustered Mother Gigogne with a Chef as her beau and his cheeky Helper in tow; plus other adroit items. Berrend emphasizes links to the past by casting alumni of Day’s school and company - among them Anita Pacylowski (regularly with Carolina Ballet Theatre) as Sugar Plum, Elizabeth Gahl as Snow Queen and Geoffrey R. W. Smith (former WB Board Chairman) as Drosselmeyer. Those who dance key roles included professionals like Samuel Chester (CBT) as the strapping Cavalier, Fidel Garcia (Ballet New York) as Snow Prince, BJ Randolph (CBT) as Candy Cane, Andrew Shore-Kaminski (Suzanne Farrell Ballet) as Shepherd and Brent Whitney (BNY) as Flower soloist. They were surrounded by students from the Berrend Dance Centre.
Maryland Youth’s “Nutcracker” casts adults where necessary (mime Mark Jaster as a debonair Drosselmeyer and flirtatious Mother Ginger; modern dance teacher Alvin Mayes as an affable father; et al.) but the divertissements are all done by students from Hortensia Fonseca’s MYB school. Several showed real flair – among them Monica Giragosian as a sparklingly neat Snow Queen and two lads, Micah Saviet and Spencer Ramirez, who lift their partners like professionals. The production by Michelle Lees has sprightly variations on archetypal themes as well as original notions, and is visually handsome (Judy Hansen costumes and Jeffrey J. Grandel décor).
All the full productions share archetypal themes – that reality’s dimensions can dissolve into dream; that the cool beauty of snow is a necessary transition to the generous warmth of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her realm of food, flowers and joy; and that dreams, although they end, reshape reality. Whose inventions are these? How much of “The Nutcracker” ballets do we owe to E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, Alexander Dumas’ retelling, Marius Petipa’s scenario, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s musical elaboration and the first choreographic visualization by Lev Ivanov? The 19th Century wasn’t as particular about choreographic credit as the 20th Century and for some good reasons. How often is a given step combination really by the person who puts it into a ballet? Wasn’t there something like it in a class the choreographer used to take? Wasn’t it modified by the dancer on whom the choreographer set the steps? It used to be believed that Ivanov invented all the original “Nutcracker” choreography. Petipa is now credited (by John Wiley) with the doll variations in the Party Scene. Many current productions use what is presumably Ivanov’s grand pas de deux (Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier) or parts of it, sometimes with and sometimes without crediting Ivanov. Balanchine quipped that all choreographers steal, so why not filch from the best. He sometimes borrowed from Petipa, Ivanov and even himself, substituting steps but keeping the source’s energy and form. NYCB’s “Nutcracker” used and credited Ivanov’s grand pas de deux at first, before Balanchine made his own. Kevin McKenzie’s ABT version and Septime Webre’s for WB contain references to predecessors. Mary Day’s “Nutcracker” was cognizant of the Ballet Russe version and originally listed Martin Buckner as co-choreographer. Currently it contains passages by Ivanov and Choo San Goh (the Tea duo). Michelle Lees also relies on a little Ivanov. The Kirov Academy’s printed program ascribes all of its “Nutcracker Suite” to Petipa but there is Ivanov in it and much Vassily Vainonen. I think we must thank all of the above.
*previously reviewed for www.danceviewtimes.com
Photo: The party scene from Maryland Youth Ballet's "The Nutcracker" by Stephen Baranovics.
