Perennial charmer near-perfect - tribunedigital-chicagotribune
November 26, 2001|By Sid Smith, Tribune arts critic.
Harry Potter may be breaking records when it comes to the box-office numbers, but he'll have to wait quite awhile to top the longevity of "The Nutcracker."
The beloved ballet is more than 100 years old and the story behind it more than 200. And "The Nutcracker," now getting its annual outing from the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre, has a lot more going for it than age.
The music of Tchaikovsky is arguably as gorgeous a score as any written, one that's lush, exotic, toylike at times and always beautiful in melody. But all "Nutcrackers" boast that. This troupe's version, conceived and staged by Robert Joffrey in 1987, a year before he died, takes this perennial charmer and just about renders it perfectly.
Gerald Arpino's "Waltz of the Flowers" glistens with a late 20th Century musicality that echoes the strains with swoops, swirls and dips. Elsewhere in the waltz, exacting toe work matches Tchaikovsky's pinpoint orchestrations. Throughout, this "Nutcracker" is a feast of rich dancing, from the whiffs of American ballroom in the opening family scene (the ballet is set somewhere in America in the 1850s) to the exquisite, liberal and sophisticated turns by all the juvenile dancers.
The trimmings are always a key element to any "Nutcracker," and none are more luscious or lovely than Kermit Love's militant mice and his towering, doll-like Mother Ginger puppet; Oliver Smith's picture-postcard drawing room and his cottony land of snowflakes; or John David Ridge's rainbow costumes, an endless source of visual wonder. Most of the principals have been playing their parts for several years now, and they're all expert and energetic. Jennifer Goodman's Clara is both girlish in characterization and lighteninglike in technical delivery, and Calvin Kitten, as her spoiled brother Fritz, manages to come off both as an obnoxious brat and as the company's most breathtakingly dazzling daredevil, leaping with aplomb and glee. That's true in his second role as China Tea in Act 2.
The great showpiece, of course, belongs to Maia Wilkins as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and she glows with poise and self-confidence. Willy Shives, as the Nutcracker Prince, is an ideal partner, zooming around the stage in virtual flight.
The Joffrey production succeeds so well because it captures the big picture, providing plenty of requisite spectacle and exploding magic tricks, while never shortchanging the details, from the sly inclusion of juvenile witnesses for the Act 2 around-the-world divertissements to the precious moment when the gingerbread waif sneaks in a quick bow.
Friday's performance suffered from opening-night jitters, including a shaky ending to the high-flying Russian quartet. Of the international roundup, the Arabian dance falls short and fails its eerie music. But this "Nutcracker" is close to flawless and, in times of trouble like ours, a welcome tonic.
"The Nutcracker" plays through Dec. 23 at the Auditorium, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. For tickets: 312-902-1500.
Joffrey's update of `Nutcracker' appeals to all
Joffrey has way with this chestnut
Perennial charmer near-perfect - tribunedigital-chicagotribune
November 26, 2001|By Sid Smith, Tribune arts critic.
Harry Potter may be breaking records when it comes to the box-office numbers, but he'll have to wait quite awhile to top the longevity of "The Nutcracker."
The beloved ballet is more than 100 years old and the story behind it more than 200. And "The Nutcracker," now getting its annual outing from the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre, has a lot more going for it than age.
The music of Tchaikovsky is arguably as gorgeous a score as any written, one that's lush, exotic, toylike at times and always beautiful in melody. But all "Nutcrackers" boast that. This troupe's version, conceived and staged by Robert Joffrey in 1987, a year before he died, takes this perennial charmer and just about renders it perfectly.
Gerald Arpino's "Waltz of the Flowers" glistens with a late 20th Century musicality that echoes the strains with swoops, swirls and dips. Elsewhere in the waltz, exacting toe work matches Tchaikovsky's pinpoint orchestrations. Throughout, this "Nutcracker" is a feast of rich dancing, from the whiffs of American ballroom in the opening family scene (the ballet is set somewhere in America in the 1850s) to the exquisite, liberal and sophisticated turns by all the juvenile dancers.
The trimmings are always a key element to any "Nutcracker," and none are more luscious or lovely than Kermit Love's militant mice and his towering, doll-like Mother Ginger puppet; Oliver Smith's picture-postcard drawing room and his cottony land of snowflakes; or J
ohn David Ridge's rainbow costumes, an endless source of visual wonder. Most of the principals have been playing their parts for several years now, and they're all expert and energetic. Jennifer Goodman's Clara is both girlish in characterization and lighteninglike in technical delivery, and Calvin Kitten, as her spoiled brother Fritz, manages to come off both as an obnoxious brat and as the company's most breathtakingly dazzling daredevil, leaping with aplomb and glee. That's true in his second role as China Tea in Act 2.
The great showpiece, of course, belongs to Maia Wilkins as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and she glows with poise and self-confidence. Willy Shives, as the Nutcracker Prince, is an ideal partner, zooming around the stage in virtual flight.
The Joffrey production succeeds so well because it captures the big picture, providing plenty of requisite spectacle and exploding magic tricks, while never shortchanging the details, from the sly inclusion of juvenile witnesses for the Act 2 around-the-world divertissements to the precious moment when the gingerbread waif sneaks in a quick bow.
Friday's performance suffered from opening-night jitters, including a shaky ending to the high-flying Russian quartet. Of the international roundup, the Arabian dance falls short and fails its eerie music. But this "Nutcracker" is close to flawless and, in times of trouble like ours, a welcome tonic.
"The Nutcracker" plays through Dec. 23 at the Auditorium, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. For tickets: 312-902-1500.
Joffrey's update of `Nutcracker' appeals to all
Joffrey has way with this chestnut