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Beverley Brommert
Cape Town City Ballet's current production of THE NUTCRACKER, onstage at the Artscape Theatre until 29 December 2024, is nothing short of a tour de force.
A ballet as evergreen as the Christmas tree featured in its opening scene is both a dream and a nightmare for those staging it: the former, as it is a reliable crowd-pleaser during the festive season, and the latter because it is monumentally challenging to inject any novelty or freshness into such hoary material while respecting the original.
Between them, choreographer Veronica Paeper and artistic manager/director Tracy Li have met that challenge in magisterial style.
Paeper has opted for a gentle, child-friendly interpretation of E.T.A. Hoffman's sinister fairy tale which inspired the original ballet in the late 19th century, and her choice is judicious.
World-weary theatregoers are not in the mood for brain-cudgelling psychological complexity; escapism answers their needs far better, so tastefully refurbished sets and opulent costumes by veteran Peter Cazalet, with touches of Paeper's impish humour, are calculated to delight audiences.
More than this, however, is the remarkable transformation of the company's performance. Following a period of somewhat pedestrian offerings, every dancer on the stage, from soloists to members of the corps, delivers well-rehearsed, authoritative execution, crisp synchronization and best of all, appears to relish what they are doing. Well done to Tracy Li.
Opening night brought Kirstél Paterson (the Sugar Plum Fairy), Leusson Muniz (the Nutcracker Prince) and Hannah Ward (the Snow Queen) to the fore, and all three are in top form to meet the technical demands of their respective roles, which they fill with confident precision and elegance.
In dramatic rather than balletic participation were young Cameron Payne as Clara and the suave Marcel Meyer as Drosselmeyer, both of whom are ideally cast.
Meyer's first appearance on stage, spectacularly masked, is just one of several small but telling new details that make this production so refreshing. Another departure from convention is retaining one dancer to interpret Clara the child as well as Clara the adolescent, and Payne enchants in both, with admirable stamina.
In the delectable collage of international dances in Act Two there is little to fault, from the gleaming trio of zesty Russians to the languidly graceful Arabs, all immaculately executed.
Even the appearance of malevolent rodents is managed with lightness of touch, turning what has often been a low point of the action into an episode of engaging humour as a wounded creature is carried off by the Red Cross on a small stretcher.
It goes without saying that the perennial contribution of child performers in the opening scenes is, as usual, an exhibition of cuteness in keeping with the old-fashioned charm of Christmas en famille.
For lovers of ballet as well as those simply seeking uncomplicated, eye-delighting entertainment, this 2024 version of THE NUTCRACKER is highly recommended.
Due to overwhelming demand at the box office, Cape Town City Ballet has announced the addition of one extra performance of The Nutcracker at Artscape on Friday 20 December 2024, at 3pm. THE NUTCRACKER runs at the Artacape until 29 December 2024, with tickets from R200 to R400 through Webtickets