Festive fairy tale Nutcracker as magical as ever in RWB’s capable hands

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This article was published 21/12/2024 (659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Great lords a-leaping! Everyone’s festive favourite, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker returned to the Centennial Concert Hall stage Friday night, making spirits bright with the latest iteration of its holiday production.

The 124-minute narrative ballet — choreographed by Galina Yordanova and Nina Menon and performed en pointe — tells the tale of wide-eyed tween Clara, who enters a fantastical world in which her carved nutcracker doll transforms into a dashing prince while she becomes the fairy-tale ballerina of her dreams.

The quintessentially Canadian production, set in a stately Winnipeg mansion on the eve of the First World War, includes such treasured national symbols as RCMP officers in furry Busby hats, Hudson Bay Point blankets, games of shinny and more.

One of the hallmarks of this company has always been its resilience, adapting to such circumstances as its two female principal dancers being offstage for this performance.

While companies typically showcase their A-list artists in starring roles, the RWB is to be commended for allowing those on the lower rungs of the art form’s traditional hierarchical ladders to shine as lead characters.

In this case, corps de ballet member Maggie Weatherdon (all lead roles alternating) — who has admittedly flown under the radar — marked an auspicious role debut as “grown-up” Clara during opening night’s performance, immediately commanding the stage with her sparkling, rock-solid portrayal as she travels to the Kingdom with her dashing Prince.

She also enthralled during Act II’s climactic Grand Pas de Deux, which caps Clara’s journey, displaying her gorgeous classical lines from the tips of her fingers to her gracefully arched feet, and whipping off a series of dizzying fouettés during her variation.

Soloist Michel Lavoie brought regal bearing to his Nutcracker Prince, providing steady ballast for his ballerina and executing several jaw-dropping lifts with Weatherdon. He also treated us to gravity-defying leaps during his own variation, springing across the stage while exuding confidence throughout.

Principal dancer Stephan Azulay’s deliciously larger-than-life role reprisal of Drosselmeier did not disappoint, with Clara’s godfather propelling the plot forward with every dramatic wave of his arm or sweep of his red-lined cape.

Soloist Jaimi Deleau brought joy to the world with her radiant reprisal of the Sugar Plum Fairy — now a signature role for the beloved artist — her impeccable musicality on full display during each of her solos, including intricate pointe work.

Deleau is also a compelling actress, whipping up magic as Drosselmeier bakes a cake at the top of Act II with the eight, rosy-cheeked cherubs cast from the RWB School, or gaily blowing kisses at Drosselmeier to create a fascinating subtext.

Her dual role of Clara’s flamboyant Aunt Josephine, the “actress from Montreal,” is another highlight, in which she trades her tiara for her fiancé Edouard’s (second soloist Marco Lo Presti) military cap to toss off spark-flying, coquettish solos, or tippling festive libations as someone you’d like at your next party.

Special guest artists this year are local South Asian group Manohar Performing Arts of Canada, which performs a rhythmically driven Kathak during Act II’s divertissement; its recorded musical accompaniment, juxtaposed with the otherwise live score, is unfortunately jarring to the senses.

Winnipeg’s Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble is also back in action, eliciting some of the night’s loudest whoops and cheers for its high-flying Hopak. The presence of these groups is a testament to Canada’s rich multicultural tapestry.

In the pit, the 100-year-old Winnipeg Boys Choir (Carolyn Boyes, director) added their treble voices to the glittering Snowflakes section, with the dancers appearing particularly unified this year in one of the most visually dazzling scenes in the entire canon of RWB works.

One never grows tired of Filbert the Bear’s waddling antics; he elicits giggles each year from tots and toddlers in the audience as he nabs figgy pudding or glides across the stage on a scooter.

The too-fleeting cameo appearance at the end of Act I by Hazel the polar bear with her cubs always enthralls with off-the-charts cuteness; one could watch the 12 cubs tumbling, waving their paws and cavorting forever.

But there’s an entire Christmas feast of memorable highlights in this ballet.

One is always Act I’s ebullient party scene hosted by Clara’s parents (second soloists Katie Saito and Joshua Hidson) and Grandmother (second soloist Katie Bonnell), or the Waltz of the Flowers, which adds its own lyrical, lilting grace note to the show.

Among this writer’s personal favourites is the tender waltz between young Clara and Drosselmeier’s nephew Julien, with RWB School dancers Anne Kotula and Deklyn Lemoine bringing sweet, wholly believable innocence to their respective roles.

The production also features Brian Perchaluk’s glorious sets, with sumptuous, imaginative costumes designed by Paul Daigle, rounded out by Michael J. Whitfield’s rosy-hued lighting.

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra features assistant conductor Monica Chen on the podium this year, her sensitive direction adding further brightness and shimmer to Tchaikovsky’s lushly romantic score.

Originally premièred in December 1999, Yordanova and Menon’s Nutcracker is now giving its predecessor, John Neumeier’s birthday-party themed The Nutcracker, a run for its money in terms of longevity (though who can ever forget the legendary David Moroni’s Drosselmeier in that earlier version?).

However, 26 years later, its wondrous tale is still going strong, bringing out the kid in all of us.

holly.harris@shaw.ca