THE BEST OF CHRISTMAS NUTCRACKERS!
THE NUTCRACKER ballet is just as much a Christmas video tradition as A CHRISTMAS CAROL, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET or IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and some versions are better than others. I'd like to share my preferences with you in time for the next Christmas.
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- DirectorCarroll BallardReparto principalHugh Duncan Bigney MitchellVanessa SharpPatricia BarkerThe colorful holiday classic is brought to the big screen, designed by famed children's story author and artist Maurice Sendak, and written to be as close to the original story. Based on the Pacific Northwest Ballet's original production.My favorite version. This is a much darker Nutcracker, with a more violent Mice/Toys battle and hints of sexual tension in several places. The late Maurice "Where the Wild Things Are" Sendak did a wonderful job of design, the dancing is superb, and while the second half of the story may be presented slightly differently than in the E.T.A Hoffman story, it keeps the viewer spell-bound. The highlight of Act II is the Arabian Dance, performed in peacock costume by Maia Rosal, who also plays Clara's mother.
- DirectorTony CharmoliReparto principalMikhail BaryshnikovGelsey KirklandAlexander MinzThe television adaptation of the Baryshnikov production.For many years, this version was my favorite. Mikhail Baryshnikov is at his finest, and this shows the magic he created with Gelsey Kirkland before they parted company. This version has in my opinion the most poignant Pas de Deux (made a Pas de Trois by the inclusion of Drosselmeyer, played/danced wonderfully by Alexander Minz) of any version, and the emphasis, as it should be, is on the dancing rather than on the sets.
- Reparto principalDonald BishopDavid HubandCaroly LarsonIt's a show that could be about stories from your childhood.One episode contains a 1973 Russian animated short re-telling the classic story; however, the original animated film has no dialogue, while the episode from the series contains narration and voice-acting. See the original Russian film if you can.
- DirectorEmile ArdolinoReparto principalDarci KistlerDamian WoetzelKyra NicholsEn Nochebuena, una niña llamada Marie se duerme después de una fiesta en su casa y sueña con un mundo fantástico donde los juguetes se vuelven más grandes que la vida.The most joyous and family-friendly version ofThe Nutcracker to date; the only one I know of in which the children are actually played by children. The mice in this version are pretty laughable, and Macauley Culkin does a fairly good job, even though in my opinion he was signed to give the film a "name". This is the New York City Ballet at its finest; Darci Kirstler is a joy as the Sugar-Plum Fairy, Kyra Nichols is wonderful as Dewdrop and Wendy Whalen as Coffee is incredible (my only complaint about her is her costume). NOTE: Both Nichols and Whela have since graduated to the role of Sugar-Plum Fairy in recent NYCB productions.
- DirectorDerek BaileyReparto principalPaul BoydJoyce CuocoTero JulkuThe storm is really getting bad out there. Come on in and sit by the fire, enjoy the tree, make yourself a hot cup of Cocoa and enjoy the classic tale of The Nutcracker. Let us be your instant Christmas escape into a world of majesty and wonder, a world filled with wooden soldiers and sugarplum fairies. This is a audio/video atmospheric piece that is designed to create instant Christmas ambiance.A curiosity to be added to any Nutcracker collection, as this is a combination of the Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol. In this version, Clara is Bob Cratchit's daughter and it is Scrooge who smashes the toy Nutcracker. Somehow, the combination actually works!
- DirectorJohn VernonReparto principalLesley CollierAnthony DowellMichael ColemanAlthough the set design and most of the costumes are remarkably like the later Royal Ballet Peter Wright productions, (2001 and 2009) many tiny details are different. While the production design is quite elaborate, much of the action is staged in a simpler manner than in Wright's later versions; for instance, the grandfather in the wheelchair has even less to do than in the later version, the angel that appears to Clara is on the staircase instead of next to the Christmas tree, and no St. Nicholas appears at the Christmas Party to distribute candies. Wright himself has stated that of all his "Nutcracker" productions, this one is the closest to the original. The story is the same as in the standard version of the ballet, with nothing really added to it, except that, as in many Russian versions and the Baryshnikov one, Clara and the Nutcracker Prince (Hans-Peter) are played by adults, not children. Clara's costume once she sneaks downstairs after the Christmas party is completely different from the one worn by the later Claras - she does not seem to be wearing a nightgown, but a full-fledged dress. In Act II, Clara and Hans-Peter (Drosselmeyer's nephew, who was formerly the Nutcracker) do not take part in the dances at the Sugar Plum Fairy's kingdom, as they do in the later Royal Ballet versions. The ending is almost completely different from the later Royal Ballet versions. Although we see Drosselmeyer and Hans-Peter reunited in the workshop (indicating that the fantasy events were real), there is no indication that Clara and Hans-Peter meet up again in the real world, or that they will be reunited as a couple, as in the later Peter Wright Royal Ballet versions. Drosselmeyer is noticeably grimmer in this production than in the later Royal Ballet versions. He never once smiles, and never seems to be really enjoying himself.The first generation of The Royal Ballet's production. Excellently done, but with a surprise twist at the end where you find that it's not only Clara's Christmas dream that comes to life.
- DirectorRoss MacGibbonReparto principalMiyako YoshidaSteven McRaeGary AvisA revival of Peter Wright's production of "The Nutcracker".The third generation of The Royal Ballet's production.
- DirectoresRoss MacGibbonRoger ShermanReparto principalJulie AndrewsAnthony DowellAlina CojocaruA re-staging of the Royal Ballet's 1985 production, with Anthony Dowell - this time as Drosselmeyer - and a new supporting cast.The second generation of The Royal Ballet's production. Anthony Dowell, who played "Cavalier" in the 1985 production, now plays Drosselmeyer.
- DirectorHeinz LiesendahlReparto principalEdward VillellaMelissa HaydenPatricia McBrideA one-hour version of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet, with a somewhat revised storyline reminiscent of "The Wizard of Oz".The very first televised version of The Nutcracker I ever saw and very suitable for children, since the battle with the Mouse King is not included in this version of the story. Eddie Albert does a good job as Narrator.
- DirectorMatthew DiamondReparto principalMarianne MooreTina FehlandtBarry AltermanThe Mark Morris Dance Group's version of "The Nutcracker Suite" with a gender reversal of roles with male dancers portraying female characters and Marianne Moore portraying Fritz. Set in the 1960s and 1970s with the toys modernized: the mouse shows shades of Elvis and the soldiers are dressed as G.I. Joes.A very unusual version in which the story is set in the 1970's and the battle is between mice soldiers and G.I. Joe soldiers among other things. A very good production, nonetheless, and worth having in your collection.
- DirectorDenis CaïozziReparto principalPaola CantalupoBernice CoppetiersNicholas KahnThis is another curiosity to be added to any Nutcracker collection.
