2008 Woodie Awards
Colonial keeps Boston holiday tradition alive
Carey Purcell
Issue date: 12/16/04 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Based on E.T.A. Hoffman's story The Nutcracker and the King of Mice and set to music composed by Pytor Tchaikovsky, the ballet has been a tradition in Boston since 1965, drawing a large, loyal fan base. For many, its opening night marks the beginning of the holiday season.
The story's main character is Clara, a young girl who is given a nutcracker doll by her godfather, Uncle Drosselmeier, and is transported to a magical fairyland.
The story has a darker side, however, with Clara developing a crush on the Nutcracker, revealing she is on the verge of adolescence and about to leave childhood behind.
Beautiful and bittersweet, The Nutcracker has been delighting audiences of all ages for decades.
This year, however, things have changed.
After a 50-year run at the Wang Theater, The Nutcracker was ousted and replaced with the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, starring the famous Rockettes. Without a performance venue for the 2004 season, The Nutcracker was left out in the cold. But Broadway in Boston stepped in to save the tradition, providing the Colonial Theater as the performance venue this year and the newly restored Opera House for the next four years.
This move meant more than just a change in location, but a change in direction. The Colonial is a much smaller theater, used mainly for dramatic productions. The stage is 38 feet wide-half the size of the Wang. The staging of the entire show needed to be altered greatly in order to adapt to the new location. This provided a challenge for the creative team at Boston Ballet, resulting in a new kind of Nutcracker for this season-a sleeker, simpler, more streamlined performance, complete with new sets, costumes and choreography.
This new Nutcracker is meant to do more in less space. The production is typically known for its stunning visuals, filled with lavish sets, outlandish costumes and the famous growing Christmas tree, but in order to fit on the stage of the Colonial, sets were simplified.
The opening scene of the Christmas party contains less props and more dancing. The beloved Christmas tree in Clara's living room still grows to unbelievable heights, but in a different way in order to enhance the scenes.
Instead of a different set for each of the dances Clara watchesa in the Land of the Sweets, the lighting is changed to alter the scenes and highlight the different dancing while the stage remains the same.
The choreography has also been changed this year, and for the better. Taking advantage of the opportunity, artistic director Mikko Nissinen has created tight, precise dances that are truly magical.
The battle between the Nutcracker and the Rat Prince is thrilling, the Arabian Dance is slow and sensual, and the famous paux de deux between the Nutcracker and the Sugarplum Fairy is simply stunning.
Despite all of its changes, The Nutcracker would be nothing without its dancers. The strength and skill of the Boston Ballet Company is amazing, and the ease with which they perform the dances is incredible. They are not only dancers, they are also performers.
Misa Kuranaga as Clara is the epitome of youth and innocence, and her childlike joy and wide-eyed wonder at the magic around her is contagious.
Gianni di Marco's Uncle Drosselmeier is thrilling and mysterious with his over-exaggerated gestures and magic.
As the Nutcracker, Carlos Molina is gallant and dashing, and Lorna Feijoo's Sugarplum fairy is pure beauty and grace.
The Nutcracker is back, and it's better than ever.
Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker will be performed at the Colonial Theatre through Dec. 31. Tickets are $25-$100 and can be purchased via Ticketmaster, 617-931-2787 or www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Colonial Theatre box office.