14 replies to this topic

[atm711]

There are two versions of Peter Wright's production---one with Cojocaru and the other with Yoshida---are  both productions the same?   If not, which production is the Royal Ballet currently dancing?

[cinnamonswirl]

Cojocaru and Yoshida are in the same performance; Cojocaru dances Clara and Yoshida the Sugar Plum Fairy. Anthony Dowell is Drosselmeyer.

The other film is from the '80s with Lesley Collier as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dowell is her Prince. Clara is danced by Julie Rose.

The production is basically the same between the 2, although they did make some changes. (I think Drosselmeyer's role is different, although I may be misremembering.) Personally I prefer the Collier version, although they are both highly enjoyable as Peter Wright's Nutcracker production is charming.

[atm711]

Thanks for your reply--the most recent version (2010) has Yoshida as the Sugar Plum and Iohna Loots (?) as Clara---Cojocaru and Yoshida are from the 2001 version.  I am assuming that the Royal Ballet performs the most recent version.  A young dancer I know will be performing Clara with the Royal Ballet in December and since I cannot see the performance (from the other side of the Atlantic) I want to purchase the version she will be dancing.  The dancer in question is Meghan Hinkis formerly of ABT.

[TenduTV]

The Royal Ballet Nutcracker is going to be broadcast theaters (mostly) on December 18th

[cubanmiamiboy]

Does the version wth Yoshida has her slide over the silk cloth being pulled by Coqueluche...? The Dowell/Coller has it, and it's beautiful to watch, apart from being a nice little accent from the original choreography as the pic wth Nikitina shows.

[Natalia]

TenduTV, on 18 November 2011 - 09:56 AM, said:

The Royal Ballet Nutcracker is going to be broadcast theaters (mostly) on December 18th

I believe that's also the date of the live Bolshoi Nutcracker in cinemas. Some theaters are repeating a Royal Ballet Nutcracker starring Yoshida/McRae that was broadcasted a year or two ago 'live'...but the Bolshoi's will be truly live. (Another tell-tale sign that this is not 'live' is that Yoshida has retired from the RB.) http://www.balletinc...racker-bolshoi/

Dec 18 will see TWO Nutcrackers in Cinemas:

1pm EST - the live Bolshoi edition, starring Kaptsova/Ovcharenko
2:30pm EST - the reprised RB edition, starring Yoshida/McRae (too bad that they couldn't time it as a 'double-header')

...and, 5 days earlier, there will be a live NYCB Nutcracker @ 6pm EST.

So many Nutcracker options this year!

[cubanmiamiboy]

The Nutcrackathon has oficially started...!!

[emilienne]

There's also a 2008 televised production with Alexandra Ansanelli as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Valeri Hristov as her Cavalier. It looks to be the same production as the later Yoshida broadcast. Clara in this broadcast is also Iohna Loots.

[Rosa]

atm711, on 18 November 2011 - 04:29 AM, said:

There are two versions of Peter Wright's production---one with Cojocaru and the other with Yoshida---are  both productions the same?   If not, which production is the Royal Ballet currently dancing?

There is also Peter Wright's second Nutcracker production created in 1990 for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. It was televised with (again!) Yoshia and Irek Mukhamedov. There are a few differences from the Royal Ballet version -- the nutcracker prince partners the Sugar Plum Fairy, the ending is more traditional. There are a few clips on youtube.

[Dale]

My local theater lists Ansanelli as the lead in the Nutcracker. Maybe it's that version.

[MRR]

cubanmiamiboy, on 18 November 2011 - 10:24 AM, said:

Does the version wth Yoshida has her slide over the silk cloth being pulled by Coqueluche...? The Dowell/Coller has it, and it's beautiful to watch, apart from being a nice little accent from the original choreography as the pic wth Nikitina shows.

No, this was taken out by the time Yoshida did it for the 2001 DVD.

[Lidewij]

My cinema which is broadcasting the Bolshoi's Nutcracker says this one is a reprise as well.  (This seems logical, as this production was broadcast live last year featuring Kaptsova and Ovcharenko)

[EvilNinjaX]

Lidewij, on 19 November 2011 - 09:40 AM, said:

My cinema which is broadcasting the Bolshoi's Nutcracker says this one is a reprise as well.  (This seems logical, as this production was broadcast live last year featuring Kaptsova and Ovcharenko)

Is this the performance where the Arabian dancer falls down?

-goro-

[Lidewij]

Yes.

[EricHG31]

MRR, on 18 November 2011 - 09:05 PM, said:

cubanmiamiboy, on 18 November 2011 - 10:24 AM, said:

Does the version wth Yoshida has her slide over the silk cloth being pulled by Coqueluche...? The Dowell/Coller has it, and it's beautiful to watch, apart from being a nice little accent from the original choreography as the pic wth Nikitina shows.

No, this was taken out by the time Yoshida did it for the 2001 DVD.

I was always disappointed by that.  Apparently there's been some argument about how long it was kept in the original production as well (I believe the belief is that the famous posed photo may have been just that--posed), and it was a hard moment to include, but I loved it.  I've been disapointed with the changes made to Wright's production over the years, which seem to take it further away from his initial goal of including as much of the Ivanov as possible (even if he left out segments like Mere Gingombre, which I always found delightful, and muddled with the story even in his initial production).  I don't think anything is gained by having Clara interact and dance in much of the divertissement, etc, except, I suppose, giving her more dancing.