Balanchine "Nutcracker"

[Helene]

Mother Ginger:

https://www.facebook.com/PNBallet/photos/np.1449769866024722.688777437/10153452079763952/?type=3&notif_t=notify_me_page

[Bored_on_Wall_Street]

Head scratching. I come in with a bias, as (a) I think nutcracker is one of balanchine’s weakest works that gets regurgitated by too many companies each year at Christmas and (b) I loved the character nuance, staging and metatextualness (and plain ol’ weirdness) of the Stowell version. I tried to put that bias aside when we saw the Friday, December 11 performance but…I just don’t understand the purpose of the new production.

Artistically: The changes from the NYCB version of George Balanchine’s Nutcracker (TM, all rights reserved), are more of a different shading than a meaningful change (which of course is a result of the Balanchine trust’s “protection” (ossification?) of their IP). Yes, there is the video intro, the different design of the forest during the snowflakes, costume changes, a chistmas tree that doesn’t seem to have heard balenchine’s view that the tree should be impressive, etc, but it seems weirdly regressive to go back to the future with a 1954 version in which the individuality of the company is suppressed and, in my opinion, you’re left with a less appealing version of the production for the non-ballet going masses due to the lack of dance in the first act of Balanchine’s. (For example, you may not agree with Stowell’s inclusion from the Queen of Spades (? I think?) to tell the story of Prince Pirlipat, but aside from me being one of the three people who think it was a clever artistic decision, it also just includes some dance for people expecting to see dance in a dance barren first act.)

Financially: Perhaps it was cheaper to do the Balanchine than restore the 30+ year old Sendak sets. And I’ve no doubt there will be a short term bump in revenues (the theater seemed a bit more full than when I saw it last year or 2013). But I am genuinely curious to see what the reaction and sales will be in 1-2 years. Traditions are a gamble to mess with, and this risk seems enhanced when it comes to Christmas, a holiday that is all tradition. Based on comments I heard during intermission, and the admittedly probably biased results of a poll that the Seattle Times has, showing ~55% preferred the old version (biased as the disgruntled are the ones more likely to fill out a survey like that), this gamble may not pay off.

And, as an irrelevant aside, the audience in the lower grand tier was truly one of the worst audiences i have ever seen any live performance with. Constant talking, FB updating. I should not have to be telling grown-ass, middle aged people much older than me to NOT carry on full conversations during a show. I always liked how boisterous the PNB crowd could be for applauding, and Nutcracker obviously brings in non-usual ballet goers, but it was like a herd of people on a coke binge stumbled onto an envelope of free tickets...

[Helene]

Casting is up for Christmas week (5):

https://www.pnb.org/...racker/#casting

Here is the spreadsheet:

PNB Nutcracker 2015 Weeks 1-5.xlsx

[yudi]

Any promotion code for this Saturday's performance?

I will ask my cousin to go to see your Nutcracker this weekend.

She has never seen Nutcracker ballet, well so far.

I don't want to disappoint her.

[Helene]

I'm afraid that the weekend before Christmas is usually prime time, and the only discounts I can see are subscriber discounts (15% off) and group discounts from PNB. There aren't any "Nutcracker" performances on Goldstar at this time.

Casting is up for Week 6, the final week of the "Nutcracker" season:

https://www.pnb.org/season/15-16/nutcracker/#casting

Here's the spreadsheet for downloading:

PNB Nutcracker 2015 Weeks 1-6.xlsx

[yudi]

Thank you, Helene, for the info. After posting, I checked the seat chart and found that the seats for $100+/- were almost all taken. I hurried up & bought two tickets.

[Helene]

Please let us know what you thought of the production!

Peter Boal tweeted:

100k tkts sold $1million over goal. #newnut #gopnb #Falconer #Balanchine #9showstogo #proud

Congratulations to PNB

[yudi]

I went to see the Nutcracker by PNB at McCaw Hall last Saturday afternoon. The theater was packed with young parents and their children. The little girl sitting behind me was probably only 3 years old. During the show some of them would yell, scream, ..., which was all right to me. I like the PNB's dancers a lot, who were all dancing with the mood and passion, and communicate with audience so that their performance was very appealing. The whole theater was like a big party, full of the immeasurable joys of holidays.

Murphy as Sugar Plum Fairy and Adomaitis as Dewdrop danced beautifully, though, I didn't expect to see a super flying prince and was not very impressed by the Grand Pas De Deux. Having all the technique, the solos are all professionally competent. Well done the corps de ballet of PNB, they looked uniform and cohesive, amazing!

The stage setting of the party scene at the Stahlbaum house surprised me the most. The hall room looked VERY deep and special. I was wondering how the 3D depth could be spread on 2D TV or movie screen?

My cousin went with me. At the end she told me: this is not as much fun as Swan Lake; Act 1 is boring, and Act 2 is better. Although, I told her: PNB is one of the best ballet theaters in the USA, among top 5, however, I don't think that makes sense to her.

Maybe, Swan Lake, Giselle and D.Q., are better Ballet 101 for my friends?

[Helene]

Thank you for the report, yudi!

"Nutcracker" is almost in its own category: it was originally conceived as 2/3 of an evening with the short opera "Iolanthe." Your friend's reaction to the two acts has been documented since the premiere: kids tend to love the first act and adults the second. The woman next to me said, after seeing the Balanchine for the first time earlier in the month, "Well, that would have been great without the first act," but she also prefers abstract ballet and mixed bills to story ballets.

One of the strengths of the Sendak/Stowell is that there is less of a divide, but as sandik has pointed out, there's more dancing in Stowell's Act I, with the masque set to music from "Pique Dame," and a pas de deux for Adult Clara and the Nutcracker-turned-Prince.

This is a great article about how members of the PNB Orchestra use food to "spice up" the "Nutcracker" season. The audio and slide show are equally illuminating:

http://www.kplu.org/post/orchestra-pacific-northwest-ballets-nutcracker-finds-creative-outlet-food

[yudi]

The food looks delicious!

[pherank]

"Nutcracker" is almost in its own category: it was originally conceived as 2/3 of an evening with the short opera "Iolanthe." Your friend's reaction to the two acts has been documented since the premiere: kids tend to love the first act and adults the second. The woman next to me said, after seeing the Balanchine for the first time earlier in the month, "Well, that would have been great without the first act," but she also prefers abstract ballet and mixed bills to story ballets.

Yes, The Nutcracker craze in the U.S. is difficult to explain to people, but the story fascinates many people. There has never been a definitive choreography (or story structure) that seems to satisfy audiences, so the ballet continues to evolve. I just came across this article on the SFB Nutcracker production (yet another version, based mainly on the Balanchine and Petipa/Ivanov versions) that gives you lots of details about what it takes to put on a massive show like this:

http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/tchaikovsky-ballet-christmas-san-francisco-ballet-helgi-tomasson-patti-fitzpatrick-wardrobe-the-1915-panama-pacific-international-exhib/Content?oid=4360852

Head of Women's Wardrobe Patti Fitzpatrick has seen the Ballet through three productions (including the original Christensen Brothers version) and over 30 years of Nutcracker performances. When Tomasson overhauled the production in 2004 — setting the famous party scene in San Francisco during the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibition — it came with a new set of costumes.

"The costumes we use now are the same set [from 2004]," Fitzpatrick said. That set includes over 175 costumes, not accounting for duplicates, which are often necessary when the principals change from one night to the next. "There may be as many as nine pairs of Snow Queens and Kings and only four sets of costumes," Fitzpatrick said. "Those costumes have to fit a lot of bodies."

The Nutcracker is the most effective ballet for getting children interested in ballets. However, it is not a true masterpiece of choreography, so for adults, this wouldn't be the best representation of classical, neo-classical, or modernist ballet.

[Helene]

15 seconds of Elle Macy in Coffee:

https://www.facebook.com/PNBallet/videos/vb.21358443951/10153467543028952/?type=2&theater&notif_t=notify_me_page

[Helene]

A short clip of Laura Tisserand as Dew Drop:

https://www.facebook.com/PNBallet/videos/10153467546733952/

[Jayne]

I wrote this up a long time ago, but forgot to post it on BalletAlert. I apologize for the lack of brevity. Fans of Norman Maclean will sympathize:

My review of the December 17 2015 7:30pm “The Nutcracker”, a.k.a. “The New England Nut”.

The costumes are based on the Federalist art period of the early United States furniture and architecture, with the odd-ball twists added by Ian Falconer. If you have visited the spare, highly edited, two dimensional character of Federalist art in the Metropolitan Museum, you should get a general sense of the sets. Setting the story in a different part of the USA than the Pacific Northwest was a smart move to help transport us to a different time and place. I went with a large group of family and friends, coordinated by my mother and we sat in Row X in the Orchestra, with excellent views of the stage. So hopefully for PNB, that meant a considerable influx of cash in ticket sales. (January note – PNB was indeed successful, earning $1 million over their target. Huzzah for PNB!)

The audience was full and enthusiastic – think figure skating event enthusiasm. There was considerable laughter at times, and cooing at other times. My mother loved it. My friends and cousins politely said they liked it. My sister said “it was ok”. Her boyfriend gamely smiled, after all he didn’t have to pay for the ticket.

The animation scene was beautiful and I hope it stands the test of time. The mice details were a wonderful. I enjoyed seeing the artists portrayed on the wall silhouettes or busts on pedestals. Overall the scenery is all saturated color, but 90% simpler than the Sendak sets.

The opening act of course is mostly acting, and Cecilia Illesiu (most recently a soloist at Carolina Ballet) was a strong actress as Mrs. Stahlbaum. The ladies’ faux hairpieces were extremely memorable. They wear awkward center crown “tufts” that are true to the time, but slightly more extreme to match the weird quality of Falconer’s designs. The Harlequin and Columbine were played by Margaret Mullin and Nicole Rizzitano, who were effective in the “doll” style. Dylan Wald played the Toy Soldier and he made a strong impression (he’s been given many chances this season and has delivered every time, definitely someone to watch!)

In this version Herr Drosselmeier is on stage for a minimal amount of time. I did enjoy the red/white stripes motif that appears in Clara’s dress, continues in Her Drosselmeier’s cape lining and the seat cushions in the house. The real action begins when the mice arrive. Truly, they are the most delightful thing about this production. I wish the marketing had featured them instead of the Sugar Plum. In this version they are benign, bumbling comic relief, without an ounce of menace. The premier year marketing for the Falconer/Balanchine production has mostly been an image of Elizabeth Murphy in a dark purple Tutu, with a lavender background. It could have been an advert for the newly discovered “Amethyst” epilogue for Jewels. It just doesn’t scream Christmas – or even whisper christmas. But the mice sure do! They should be the new “icons” of the PNB Nut marketing campaign. Hopefully for 2016 something more "mouse-friendly" will be devised for marketing.

The tree growth a surprisingly quiet scene, both in the tree growth itself (it seemed unmagnificent compared to the glorious music), the lighting and choice of movement along with the music. Contrary to Mr.B’s comment “The ballet is the tree”….well, not in the Falconer set. The walls and false ceiling have been withdrawn from the stage at this point, leaving a stark stage, which interfered with my suspension of disbelief. But then the mice battle started and we were cooking with gas. I really enjoyed how Jerome Robbins blocked the mice vs soldiers (and hare drummer). (Could we have Pulcinella in Seattle, pretty please?)

There was significant audience laughter when the sentry shot the mouse in the bum, and more when the cannons fired cheese at the mice. Once the bed moved into the snow scene, we finally saw some significant choreography!

I give full credit to Balanchine for choreographing beautiful steps for the corps, in a very small space, considering how much of the stage is crowded by snowy birch trees. The quiet moments of the music are choreographed with adagio arm movements, so we never hear the thump-thuump of 32 toe shoes banging against the floor, or even any squeaking on the fast turns. PNB’s corps looked precise. In fact most of my family/friends group enthused that this new version really shows off the corps. But maybe it’s the snow choreography that makes the corps look so good? PNB leased a “Winter Star” from Dale Chihuly, which is a glass confection chandelier in the sky of the set above the snowy birches. While it added a northwest touch, it didn’t overwhelm the effect of the corps, and hit all the right visual “notes”.

Next post.... Act II

[Jayne]

Act II began in a Land of the Sweets set that didn’t vary much from the Ten-Arturian version at NYCB. I expected some fanciful Falconer magic in the Act II sets and they were….watercolor renditions of stacked cakes. Meh. I wondered why Falconer didn’t diverge further and offer something completely original? Fortunately Lesley Rausch arrived, now at the height of her considerable powers, as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Notes in the program summarized the original 1892 Russian reviews that the story didn’t give enough for the prima ballerina to do. I have to agree, because I wished for far more stage time for La Rausch.

The audience (surprisingly) became very quiet during the angels glide-dancing section and remained so through the Hot Chocolate section featured Sarah Ricard Orza and Guillaume Basso (another excellent addition to PNB’s corps). The entire group wore exceptionally striking appliqué Seville-style costumes, but the steps they dance are not particularly memorable. Laura Tisserand gamely dancing Coffee while wearing a Persian-ish peacock accented turquoise costume. She was applauded, but the dance itself was seductive for 1954….and tame for 2015. Matthew Renko danced beautifully as Tea, and only pointed his fingers “in the Chinese manner” during the finale reprise. There was a *lot* of murmuring in the audience during both Tea sections. I heard the phrase “isn’t that kind of racist?” by several commenters behind me. Maybe Tea would look better if it was danced in Panda costumes or another China-associated animal. I think kids would like dancing pandas. J

Ezra Thomson danced Candy Cane lead, on this night he struggled with the hoop, his jumps were low, and his footwork was blurred. I stopped watching him and focused on the children, who were excellent. This is really a brilliant little piece of dancing for children.

Marizipan was led winningly by Amanda Clark, and while some seemed charmed by the doily costumes, from a distance some of the audience were heard to whisper “what are they wearing and why does Marzipan need a Shepherd?” As time goes on, perhaps this will become clearer to the audience. Perhaps a sample of the costume could be displayed in the lobby? Also I think an explanation of what Marzipan is would be in order. Seattle attracts families from all over the world, and not just Europe, and the treat is not familiar to many of them (or even many Americans of European descent). Why not serve Marzipan at the food kiosks?

The younger children loved Mother Ginger, and while I thought the costumes for the polichinelles were completely inventive and adorable, the scene and dancing are sort of vapid. Then we had the Waltz of the Flowers which again made the corps look wonderful, although not quite as crisp as snowflakes. The peach / pink / butter yellow dresses are lovely, but not a patch on Karinska’s gorgeous tiered pink masterpieces. Dewdrop choreography is one of the best parts of Balanchine’s Nut and Sarah Pasch thoroughly charmed the audience with her rendition.

Finally we had the beautiful PPD with Purple Sugar Plum Fairy Lesley Rausch and her Cavalier Batkhurel Bold. Mr Bold no longer has the ballon of the younger men, but he does frame his partner beautifully and lifts her as if she weighed no more than a champagne flute. They carried off the choreography with deft ease and the “slide” moment went without any hitch, to a great cheer and hooting of pleasure from the audience that expanded to wild full throated spasms of bravos to match a Seahawks touchdown at the finish. Ms Rausch really is fabulous as SP, and I am disappointed she wasn’t given opening night Premier. I enjoy Elizabeth Murphy very much and do not begrudge her promotion. But opening night belongs an Etoile. Let the arrows of criticism fly as they may, but IMHO Lesley Rausch is all that and a box of Godiva chocolates.

After the usual finale “review” of dancers, the airborne sleigh lifted off with truly elegant flying reign deer who moved their legs elegantly (apparently with with coordinated wind-shield-wiper-motors). The audience cheered loudly, but only a few stood for the ovation.

[Jayne]

Post Script: In his review earlier in this thread, Bored_On_Wall_Street asked “Why bother?” in reference to the change from Stowell/Sendak to Balanchine/Falconer. For the audience, I think this production helps them hear the Tchaikovsky music with fresh perspective. It is also good for the dancers (especially the PNB School dancers who have never danced the Balanchine version before) because it gives them different steps to dance after so many years of the Stowell steps. Certainly the corps looked enthusiastic, crisp, and energetic in fresh-to-them steps.

From what I understand the Stowell/Sendak version has been steadily declining in attendance for a number of years. The “same old-same old” version was trying to compete against ever-new Christmas time Broadway style shows and concerts. So this new production is good for PNB box office in December. Many people who have emigrated or immigrated to Seattle grew up on the Alexandre Dumas book, and could not accept the ETA Hoffman version portrayed in the Stowell/Sendak production. They did not buy tickets as a result, but I think the “refusniks” will now give this version a try.

Part of the problem for me as an adult viewer (without children in tow) is that I don’t think the Alexandre Dumas book is a strong story for adults or teenagers to watch. Balanchine created this version for baby-boomer children of the mid 1950’s, who were spoon-fed Walt Disney movies and TV specials. The cultural world of Christmas has changed, and for Gen-Xers and younger adults, we’ve grown up on cartoons with hidden adult humor, cinema like “Bad Santa” and “Scrooged”, books like “Santaland Diaries” and the holiday snark of the Cartoon Network. I kept waiting for someone to spike the punch in this version. Will families keep going when their kids are tweens and teenagers? This war horse works gangbusters for NYCB, so perhaps my doubts are for nothing.

I’m not sure I want to see the same Balanchine Nut year after year. I might go every 5^th year, and in other years see other stage productions (Scrooge, Seattle Men’s Chorus, etc). There is a risk if more companies acquire the Balanchine Nut that will begin to feel as homogenized as visiting strip mall stores.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I will reiterate that what would bring me back every year to the PNB December box office would be more variety. A week of “Jewels” from Boxing Day to New Years. Alternate that post-holiday palette cleanser with an “All Waltz program” to include “Vienna Waltzes”. Or a jazz-oriented program to include some Twyla Tharp, Robbins, Stroman and Ailey.

Perhaps altering the existing Nuts would bring me back – odd numbered years for the Balanchine and even numbered years for the Stowell version. I’m sure there would be logistical issues to work out. But in the 21^st century continues, audiences will have more options (and probably more Star Wars movies) to tempt them in December. PNB will have to respond with more artistic options for the audience as well. This new Nut should be the beginning of a series of palette cleansers, not the only answer.

[sandik]

Overall the scenery is all saturated color, but 90% simpler than the Sendak sets.

Yes, and the relative lack of complexity concerns me -- you can see all there is to see in it fairly easily

I did enjoy the red/white stripes motif that appears in Clara’s dress, continues in Her Drosselmeier’s cape lining and the seat cushions in the house.

And in Olivia's dress, where she is sitting in a box on house left -- apparently those stripes are her signature design