17 May, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Graeme Murphy's reimagining of The Nutcracker begins with elderly former Ballet Russes dancer Clara (Chrissa Keramidas), in her suburban Melbourne home in the 1950s as children play outside. After drinks with old friends, she becomes lost in a fantasia of the past - the traditional Nutcracker imagery blending with her own childhood (Amelia Soh as the young Clara), her prime as a ballerina (Ako Kondo), and her lost love (Chengwu Guo).
The second half of the ballet is a more straightforward biography of Clara from childhood through the Russian Revolution and then to her arrival in Melbourne, but with some elements of fantasia and ending on a lovely, poignant image of the three Claras together.
I really loved how this played with the traditional Nutcracker imagery and how it reversed the key trajectories - rather than a young girl looking forward on the cusp of adulthood, it's an elderly woman reflecting on her past. The story of Clara herself is so beautifully done and I love the three Claras, each of them so expressive and different.
Kondo is so stunning as ballerina Clara, and she's absolute magic with (her fiancee!) Guo in their paired dances. The production is also super pretty with lots of lavish costumes. A lovely production.
Choreography Graeme Murphy
Creative Associate Janet Vernon
Concept Graeme Murphy and Kristian Fredrikson
Music Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Costume and set design Kristian Fredrikson
Original lighting design John Drummond Montgomery
Film collage Philippe Charluet
With Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra in Sydney
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