I attended the Washington, D.C. premiere on Friday, December 10, and was tremendously impressed. I must admit that I came to this production with a great deal of trepidation – driven partly by my fondness for the Mary Day production and partly by concerns about Septime Webre’s Washington-centric concept. But instead I found this Nutcracker enchanting. Webre clearly conveys the love and affection that this family and their friends feel for each other as they gather to celebrate the Christmas holiday, and it’s this general sense of warmth and even sweetness that carries through the entire ballet.
While not necessarily memorable, Webre’s choreography does nothing to detract from the atmosphere he so successfully creates. The steps he chooses nicely challenge the dancers, though they don’t really rise to the level of a nuanced reaction to the beautiful score. Having said that, however, Webre must be credited with evoking joyous, daring, and for the most part wonderfully musical performances from his cast. Particular highlights for me were Erin Mahoney’s beautiful phrasing as Dew Drop, Runqiao Du’s careful attention to detail as the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier, and the sense of happiness and pride with which many of the Snow Flakes approached their roles.
There were, however, a few things that didn’t work. For me, Act II didn’t feel as though it took place in a magical realm – it just seemed like a somewhat strange assortment of creatures had for some reason chosen to gather on the banks of the Potomac River. Rather than feel a sense of wonderment, I was left with more of a sense of puzzlement. Some of the costumes in Act II were also misguided – the blazing reds for the cardinals were too much a contrast to the softer color schemes used elsewhere, and the cotton candy-ish costumes for Dew Drop’s attendants completely overwhelmed the dancers and the choreography.
In spite of these misgivings, this production delivers what far too few Nutcrackers have in the recent past – a sense of love for this holiday sense and thankfulness for everything positive that Christmas is able to evoke. And for that, I must say, I am very grateful.
