The Nutcracker Part IV:
The Ballet
The most famous Ballet in our time, The Nutcracker, has hundreds of different versions. It began around 1890 when Marius Petipa, a famous choreographer collaborated with Pytotr Ilich Tchaikovksy, a famous Russian composer. It is said that he was not satisfied with the libretto by both Petipa and Ivan Alexandrovitch Vsevolojsky and had difficulties with Petipa’s choreography. Tchaikovsky, while still writing the music, took a trip to America and his sister died, which caused him stress. On top of that Petipa took ill as rehearsals began and Lev Ivanov had to take over the choreography of the ballet. In other words, the whole thing started out as a mess. The Nutcracker ballet premiered at the St. Petersburg Imperial Theater in 1892 with mixed reviews and was not that popular for the first part of the twentieth century. The ballet which was already a shortened version of Hoffmann and Dumas’ tale, was often altered and shorted even more when it was performed.
Then in 1944, William Christensen produced the full-length production of The Nutcracker in San Francisco. He had been advised by Russian choreographer George Balanchine to stage the ballet in its entirety and original way. Christensen, with its success, soon started repeating it every year during Christmas, and in 1954, Balanchine followed suite with his own version in New York. And the rest they say…is history.
The Ballet, The Nutcracker, is a simplified version of the fairy tale. In Act I, Scene I: We open to the Christmas party scene. The family is gathered with guests. Marie is renamed Clara in the ballet version. I am not sure why, and we will leave it at that. They are enjoying a merry time. In comes Drosselmeyer with his amazing toy inventions. He may show off a life like dancing doll and or toy soldier. Soon, he gifts a package and presents a nutcracker to Clara and her brother. But alas, Clara’s brother is an ornery brat in the ballet version and he takes the nutcracker and of course breaks it. Clara is devastated but Drosselmeyer manages to bandage him up. Later, in Act 1 Scene 2, is the battle scene. Clara goes downstairs to check on The Nutcracker and runs into an “army” of mice. The Nutcracker is transformed to life size. His soldiers fight the army of mice along with The Mouse King. The Mouse King and the Nutcracker dual, The Nutcracker takes him down. Again, the battle scenes vary from one production to the next. Suddenly the life size nutcracker is transformed into a human prince.
In the second Act, the Nutcracker Prince, takes his rightful throne with Clara as his special guest in the Land of the Sweets. There may be a winter wonderland where snow/snowflakes dance. In the Land of the Sweets, we meet all sorts of characters. Spanish, Arabian, and Russian dances ensue. We meet Mother Ginger and her polichinelles. A dewdrop and flowers dance for the Prince and Clara, along with some “marzipan.” Finally, we are introduced to the Sugar Plum Fairy, who, aside from Clara and The Nutcracker, is probably the most sought after role.
The dances are beautiful, inspiring, and moving. We are transformed through music and dance to the fairy land made of sweets. The characters in this place were simply missing their Prince, and now he has returned, and they all must celebrate.
The celebration does not last for long. Before you know it, Clara is waking up. She is just a child who wandered off in the night and had fallen asleep cuddled with her dearly loved Nutcracker. The Mouse King battle and The Land of the Sweets was all seemingly just a dream. With this realization, the curtain falls.
The Ballet, in my opinion is a wonderful, dance version of the tale. I am sure Hoffmann, being the musical man that he was, would be pleased with the the music, but might be disappointed in the storytelling. Indeed, much is left out in the ballet version. But really, do we need a complicated plot within a ballet? The characters do not necessarily match the characters in the tale, but they represent the realms that Hoffmann created. With the orchestra playing music that is delightful to the ear, and the costumes, props, and dance that delights the eye, it is a wonderous experience that capture’s what Hoffmann wanted all along. To never lose sight of a child’s imagination.
Source:
Introduction by Jack Zipes. Nutcracker and Mouse King, E.TA. Hoffmann/The Tale of the Nutcracker, Alexandre Dumas. Penguin Books.