“The Nutcracker” reviewed by Jeffrey Leibham

***** There are numerous holiday traditions that people like to observe during this time of the year. It is one of the many perks of living in or near the great city of Chicago. Whether it be dining in the Walnut Room after a visit to Santaland with young children or enjoying a ceramic red boot filled with hot mulled wine at Christkindlmarket, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the final month of the year. Some families go ice skating within the glow of the city’s official Christmas tree in Millennium Park, if the weather permits, while others make their yearly trek to attend one of the many productions that Chicagoland theatres have to offer. Certainly one of the best and the brightest of these is Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” If you have never seen this spectacular interpretation of the classic ballet, you really must make this one a must-see.

If you have seen “The Nutcracker” before, done by other ballet companies, you are in for a treat with this one. British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon has virtually re-invented this work. His version of “The Nutcracker” is site-specific to the city of Chicago. Originally presented by the Joffrey Ballet in December of 2016, Wheeldon has set his production firmly in the city’s historical past. Christmas Eve, 1892 in a small shack on Chicago’s near south side, very near the grounds where workers from around the world have gathered to construct what would become the World’s Columbian Exposition, which was set to open in a mere five months time. Because this work proudly reflects the international heritage that was necessary to not only bring the 1893 fair to Chicago but also get it assembled with harmonious labor from several different cultural and racial groups, it is truly a celebration of nations in which current local city-dwellers will feel immense satisfaction as well as great gratification.

You will find that there is no Clara in Wheeldon’s “The Nutcracker.” Instead, we have a young girl named Marie, the enchanting Annabelle de la Nuez. Her mother (Amanda Assucena) is a widowed artist who is sculpting a large statue for the fair. Into their world comes swirling the Great Impresario of the Fair, magnificently danced by the extraordinary Alberto Velasquez, who is bearing the Christmas gift for Marie of a nutcracker. The Impresario’s apprentice, Peter (Jose Pablo Castro Cuevas) later becomes the charming Prince who has been transformed from the wooden toy.

Wheeldon’s choreography is multifaceted and diverse. Much of the first two scenes, at the fairgrounds and within the small shack as the townspeople gather to celebrate Christmas, have a very loose and modern feel, nothing one would associate with classical ballet. However, as the story progresses and Marie slumbers as her dreams transport her into a fantastical world, the style becomes much more refined. As the Impresario and the Queen of the Fair, danced also by Assucena, guide Marie and Peter through the fair, we get to visit all of the vaious international pavilions with them as well. Brilliantly, this is how we also are introduced to all of the dances from “The Nutcracker Suite” (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Russian Dance [Trepak], Arabian Dance, Chinese Dance, Waltz of the Flowers, etc.), which makes so much more sense than what you might find in a more traditional presentation of this work.

One can’t help citing many of the choreographers whose work may have influenced Wheeldon’s creation here. Watching Edson Barbosa and his trio of cowgals dancing the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show segment, you’d be hard pressed not to think of Agnes DeMille and her work in “Rodeo.” Also, the superb extended pas de deux danced by Velasquez and Assucena in the second half, which is perfectly executed and achingly gorgeous, is pure George Balanchine. This is not to say that Wheeldon is copying these artists. No where near. Rather, he is giving them each a very subtle wink. His work is crisp, polished and uniquely his own. Perhaps this is most evident in his Arabian Dance. Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Guttierrez completely astound the audience with this complicated, intricate piece that features numerous un-balletic movements of limbs at skewed angels, feet momentarily unpointed and hyper-dramatic lifts. Everyone was clearly mesmerized and entranced.

The Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is a bit like going to see a big Broadway musical, and it’s no surprise that most of the creative team have credits that extend to the Great White Way as well as the West End. There are magical moments in this show and it is all executed with the precise stagecraft wizardry that can only be found in highly rehearsed crews and ensembles. Julian Crouch designed the whimsical set, the dazzling costumes and the exaggerated masks. The projection design by 59 Productions is stunning and blends beautifully and seamlessly with Natasha Katz’s audacious lighting design. Music Director Scott Peck, conducting the Lyric Opera Orchestra, does a wonderful job with Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved and well-known score.
This “Nutcracker” is so spectacular that it truly deserves to become one of your yearly holiday traditions.
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The Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” continues through December 27, 2023

with performances : Thursdays  7 :00p.m.

Fridays     7:00 p.m.

Saturdays 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Sundays    1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, 12/20 7:00 p.m.  and 27th at 2 :00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday  12/26  at 2:00 p.m.
Lyric Opera of Chicago is located at 20 North Wacker Drive
Tickets: For performance dates and times, please visit www.joffreyballet.org/nutcracker
Running time is approximately 2 hours with one intermission

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Nutcracker”(Joffrey)