2000th performance of "The Nutcracker"
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
December 19, 2007
by Susan Reiter
copyright © 2007 by Susan Reiter
One assumes that plenty of people in the audience at Wednesday's 6 p.m. performance of "The Nutcracker" had selected that date without knowing it marked a milestone. And they would not have sensed that any occasion was being marked until early in the second act, when Maria Kowroski's Sugar Plum Fairy was welcoming the various delectable divertissements in honor of the arrival of Marie and the Nutcracker Prince. Suddenly, three Dewdrops appeared to dip in a révérence before her. The trio -- Ashley Bouder, Sterling Hyltin and Sara Mearns, proceeded to "share" this glorious role, dividing up its exhilarating, crystalline solo passages among them. There was even more to keep track of when it came to the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier; no fewer than twelve dancers performed where normally only two are required. These added surprises, as well as the wonderfully vibrant quality of the performances -- from the exemplary child performers as well as the company members -- made for a particularly festive performance of Balanchine's always beautiful and heartwarming masterwork.
"The Nutcracker" reached its 1,000th performance in 1983, and that milestone attracted a great deal of attention because it became the occasion for Peter Martins' farewell performance. Twenty-four years and another thousand performances later, the production has changed little, aside from the occasional refurbished set of costumes, and thank goodness for that. It weaves its theatrical magic so effortlessly, with what are by now sweetly antiquated special effects that nonetheless require absolutely no updating. The shimmering transition to the land of snow, as the snowy-white bed takes its entrancing journey around the stage; the moment early in Act One when the tree glows on a darkened stage as the children in silhouette approach it with their arms raised; and of course the famed moment when that tree "grows," unfolding its way up to the rafters as the musical achieves its gorgeous crescendo -- all remain completely satisfying and perfect.
Act One's party scene was alive with finely detailed performances and glowed with spontaneity. Maria Gorokhov's excitement as she welcomed each of her friends' arrival felt fresh and believable, and the girls' collective animated anticipation. Carl Pedersen's Fritz was no so much a naughty kid as one who chafed at the propriety imposed by the occasion, yearning to break out a bit. Dena Abergel and Arch Higgins made a warm and welcoming pair of hosts; one sensed that this Dr. Stahlbaum took particular delight in being able to supervise and join in the boys' marching and dances. Robert La Fosse's Drosselmeier has been honed into a strongly characterized but not excessively eccentric portrayal. He's spry and enthusiastic, apart and yet fully engaged; eager to entertain the children and awaken their imaginations, and always alive to the music's energy and phrasing -- at times doing his own restrained little dance upstage or on the sidelines.
I admired the way Gorokhov managed the moment as she rushes onstage during the entr'acte, pausing to look behind and around before she enters the livingroom. She did this so naturally and believably, rather than as something learned. La Fosse kept Drosselmeier's action, after he has repaired the Nutcracker doll and the entr'acte's violin solo -- which eloquently leads us into the realm of enchantment -- ascends to its final notes, simple yet resonant. There was no swirling of the cloak or mumbo-jump waving of hands around the doll -- just gentle turns and fluent arms suggesting a spell being benevolently, yet slightly mischievously, invoked. Joshua Shulkind was a most engaging and vivid Little Prince/Nutcracker, beautifully and captivatingly elegant as he kneeled to the waking Marie, presented her with the crown and escorted her through the falling snow.
Kowroski danced with particular lightness and limpid grace in her solo, then yielded the role to Wendy Whelan, who along with Damian Woetzel gave us a majestic, authoritative pas de deux. Then real fireworks broke out in the brief, brisk coda, which had been ingeniously re-choreographed to incorporate six high-flying Cavaliers and three new Sugar Plums, with everyone spinning and whizzing in multiple directions. First Charles Askegard was framed by Benjamin Millepied and Jared Angle, but no sooner had they registered than a new trio took over: Gonzalo Garcia (particularly buoyant and crisp) flanked by Stephen Hanna and Philip Neal. Darci Kistler, Yvonne Borree and Abi Stafford were their counterparts.
Bouder, robust and daring, and Hyltin, effervescent but more brittle, alternated during the five solo passages Dewdrop dances in the Waltz of the Flowers, with Bouder opening and closing this bountiful, brilliantly designed passage. Mearns, with her singularly luxurious amplitude and elegant carriage, did the honors during the finale.
These special flourishes were exciting, but also representative of the way "The Nutcracker" provides the company with an enduring tradition. There was Kistler (who, along with Neal, did the honors for the central pair's final entrance in the finale), who has not been performing Sugar Plum this season, and who was already a principal dancer when performance #1,000 took place. Whelan and Woetzel, with over two decades in the company, are now the designated first-night/special occasion interpreters of the roles, while Garcia and Stafford are NYCB's newest principal dancers.
Nearly everyone (though not Kowroski, as far as I could tell) joined in the final tableau, giving this Marie and her Prince a particularly stellar sendoff as the sleigh carrying them off rose high above the stage. One can only surmise who, and how many, among the abundantly talented children whose verve and charm helped make this a special performance, will be on stage for future "Nutcracker" performances, perhaps as company members, possibly advancing from ensemble to leading roles. A couple of them might even be on the stage when performance #3,000 takes place -- you can count on it -- sometime around 2031.
Photos by Paul Kolnik
top: curtain call
bottom: Wendy Whelan and Damian Woetzel
