“The Nutcracker” review by Julia W. Rath

**** One of the world’s most iconic ballets, “The Nutcracker” has mesmerized audiences for over 130 years. The current iteration by the Joffrey Ballet was reimagined in 2016, when Christopher Wheeldon was tasked as the ballet’s choreographer and director and Brian Selznick was commissioned to adapt the original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann and to use the setting of Chicago. The show thus begins with an emphasis on the workers and artisans who created the exhibits, pavilions, and buildings that once graced the fairgrounds in Jackson Park during the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 (a/k/a the Columbian Exposition).

Perfectly done are several pas de deux (literally “a step of two”) in the second act: the most impressive being the highly sensual and suggestive Arabian dance featuring Victoria Jaiani and Edson Barbosa. You could palpably feel the sexual energy and tension between them. These dancers received some of loudest applause on opening night plus a standing ovation. Also intriguing and lovely is the more traditional ballet dance near the end between the Fair’s Great Impresario (Alberto Velazquez) and the Queen of the Fair (Amanda Assucena), who are both dressed in gold and white. And needless to say, the incredible music by Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky is as excellent as always and beautifully performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by music director Scott Speck.

In this coming of age story, Marie (Anabelle de la Nuez) and her family are portrayed as American immigrants. Marie’s widowed mother (Jeraldine Mendoza) is a sculptor who has helped create the famed Statue of the Republic, a golden toned figure modeled on a woman who holds a globe with an eagle in her right hand and a laurel wreath in the other. It so happens that Marie’s mischievous little brother Franz (Elliot Angsurat) finds and hides an old-fashioned nutcracker shaped like a military officer in their mother’s wardrobe. Shortly after, the mother and her two children host a Christmas Eve party for a group of recent immigrants and fair workers. During the gathering, the Great Impresario and his apprentice Peter (José Pablo Castro Cuevas) make an appearance. The Impresario shares his grand vision of the upcoming fair and gives Marie the nutcracker. This mysteriously comes alive in her dream that night: transforming into a real military officer and her handsome prince—who happens to be Peter! Together, Marie and Peter embark on a fantastical journey through the World’s Fair with the Great Impresario, visiting various pavilions and witnessing dancers from around the world. Some highlights include the numerous entrechats by the solo Chinese dancer (Wictor Hugo Pedroso) and the lassoing technique by “Buffalo Bill” (Dylan Gutierrez). We note that the love story between the Fair’s Queen and the Great Impresario parallels Marie’s own budding romance with her prince. However, it’s all just a dream, and Marie awakens on Christmas Day with her family: dressed throughout the entire performance in her girlish white dress with a large pink satin bow tied around her waist.

I was impressed with the projection design by 59 Productions, especially where we see the architects’ renderings for the buildings and then a silhouette of the completed fair landscape. We see the fairgrounds from morning to night, complete with the prominent Ferris wheel and domed Administration Building. We also observe the humble shack where Marie and her family live. The extraordinary detail in how the projections integrate with the various sets is truly remarkable. For instance, the knobby little Christmas tree grows bigger and bigger in Marie’s dream and then extends towards the audience, eventually being lit with candles. Then too, we are given the impression that Marie and her prince are being whisked away in their coach/gondola to travel not just throughout the World’s Fair but, for that matter, all throughout the world. The lighting design by Natasha Katz and lighting recreation by Chris Maravich beautifully highlight the progression of the story from one pavilion to the next. A special tribute must go to the on-stage trio that performs klezmer music in act one, featuring a violinist, a clarinetist, and an accordion player. One of my favorite parts of the show is the puppetry by Basil King and Tandem Otter Productions. I loved seeing the rats scurrying throughout Marie’s house only to see them later turn into the Rat King (Dylan Gutierrez) and his crew. And then there’s all the snow! I don’t recall whether there was as much snow falling in previous years. However, this added a special holiday touch.

Yet something was missing, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Perhaps the issue was related to my own experiences with the Joffrey’s version of “The Nutcracker.” Previously I had taken my cousin, a dance maven originally from Ukraine, to attend the production with me. Widely traveled, she had seen many classical ballets performed on various world stages, and I would enjoy listening to her comparisons with the original choreography by Marius Petipa. She would also speak knowledgeably about the music—and the absence of Tchaikovsky’s euphonium in the second act. But today I invited a different guest, who had never seen this ballet before or had heard the music. She loved the dance but was flummoxed by the storyline. She kept asking me, “How can a child follow this? And it’s true that unless you read the synopsis in the playbill, you could become lost. Ironically, the underlying libretto (which emphasizes the nutcracker and all of the rats) seemed to be the most relatable on opening night, as evinced by the audience’s applause. For example, the segment that got the most laughs was the walnut dance, where all of the dancers are encased in shells, which continually open and close—thanks to the brilliantly executed costume and mask design by Julian Crouch. And this got me thinking: Maybe the idea about the flurry of activity surrounding the Chicago World’s Fair doesn’t hold up all that well over time. Since the original fairytale and its dream sequence has to do more with fantasy than with history, maybe the entire show ought to be brought into the 21st century so that it is more relatable to a younger audience and to one less familiar with Chicago stories and traditions.

Having said that, the current production of “The Nutcracker” is vibrant and a true marvel with its many visual and musical delights. This ballet is grander than anyone can imagine, and the show is wonderfully lighthearted and uniquely entertaining. While some dances didn’t seem as smoothly executed as I remembered them to be, they will only get better as the run goes on!

“The Nutcracker” is playing through December 28th, at the Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive, in Chicago.

Single tickets start at $36.

Performance Schedule:

Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays – 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Sundays – 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

No Thursday afternoon performance on December 12th
No Friday afternoon performance on December 13th
No Saturday evening performance on December 28th

Additional performance: Tuesday, December 24 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are available for purchase online at https://joffrey.org/performances-and-tickets/the-nutcracker/ or by telephone at 312-386-8905 or at the Lyric Opera Box Office, located at 20 North Upper Wacker Drive.

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