Review: Nutcracker -The Story of Clara (Australian Ballet)
As reviewers, one of the major influences we must try to escape is that of expectation. The weighty reputation of the performer, the luxurious reputation of the venue, even the advertising budget that enters it into the creative consciousness, can all stand in the way of the art critique’s holy grail; objectivity. A company like the Australian Ballet has such a high reputation that when coupled with Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy and one of the giants of western art music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the Nutcracker starts in the mind of every reviewer with good standing. However, the higher the perch the greater the fall, so the performance is both fuelled by and in contest with its own history.
There is no doubt that Murphy was aware of the long-standing reputation of the Ballet itself, not to mention the legendary Ballets Russes, and this is evident by the way he begins the piece, with a typical Australian backyard, children jumping rope as an aging Clara reminisces about her days in the famous Russian Ballet. Though the entirety of Graeme Murphy’s staging is expansive, impressive and meticulously executed, it is these opening scenes which charmed me, as a small troupe of aged dancers drink Vodka and toast to a memory long past. The image of the babushka dolls, each dancer taking their own doll in the spirit of identity, and then placing them within one another as a show of mutual and nostalgic solidarity was a brilliant way to introduce both the history the rest of The Nutcracker was to explore, and the Russian influence on ballet, specifically through Tchaikovsky’s music.
As the piece unwinds, we see Clara at multiple ages (with three dancers, the transitions between flawlessly carried off) as she learns to perfect her art and find love in the most beautiful way; the sheer elegance of physical manipulation. It is with slight reservations that I use this word, given the way it has become cliché, but the duets between Clara and her lover are truly breathtaking. I mean that in the pure physical sense of the word. Every few moments I found myself gasp for air as I had become so caught up in the graceful presence of Leanne Stojmenov and Yosvani Ramos that my subconscious had also found itself in rapture.
To go into too much detail of this spectacular staging would be to take from you the element of surprise, but for those who need a little bit of a tease; there are a few moments to look out for. There are dancing rats, giant babushka dolls, wintery Russian snowflakes with exuberant style, and a multitude of sets, both minimalistic and extravagant, each as effective as the last. This is not The Nutcracker as you may know it, but a brilliant adaptation which draws together the Australian and Russian influences into a seamless and sensitive mélange of poignant virtuosity. Bravo Clara, in your three figured form you have stolen the hearts of this Australian, and made him wish for a Russian heritage of his own.
