Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker At Plymouth Theatre Royal Review

Reviewed by Helen Wyatt

Wow, what an amazing show! We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to go and see Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker at the Theatre Royal Plymouth recently, which was lovely to experience after such a long time away from the theatre due to covid. Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker is a simple but effective retelling of Tchaikovsky’s 130 year old classic ballet The Nutcracker. The traditional ballet is still hugely popular with audiences itself, supported by the beautiful soaring score which tells the story in its own right. Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker is actually 30 years old itself, so has also grown into a classic, and I was really intrigued to see how the bright candy colours of the programme translated onto the stage.

The story of the Nutcracker is a simple and sweet one; Clara, the heroine, finds her true love but has to try and win his heart and overcome many obstacles along the way. In Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker, it retells the classic story by starting out in a Dickensian orphanage, the orphans having to perform for visitors and the possibility of receiving meagre gifts at Christmas. The stage is dark monochrome, with drab beds and little furniture, evoking the Dickensian era and the sad, sorry case of the orphans. The orphans, overseen by the overbearing and scary Dr and Mrs Dross, are forced to dance over and over, all the while being tricked and hurt by the perfect children of Drosses, Fritz and Sugar, who constantly push to steal the show with their performances, and also steal the few gifts the other children were given.

I was particularly taken with the staging in the first Act, with the perspective being altered, giving you a strange lengthening/tilting effect which is creepy but also very hypnotising to watch. It was such a simple stage, but beautifully put together. It didn’t detract from the mesmerising dancing, which I could have sat and watched for hours and hours on end.

The dark first Act ends with our heroine, Clara, having her gift, a ventriloquist type dummy, stolen from her and locked in a cupboard by mean Dr Dross. She is so upset, but she later sneaks out of bed to find him, only for him to come alive. Initially she is scared but then realises he is her true love in disguise! The story then bursts from the dark oppressive colours of the first Act into the bright white frozen lake, where all the orphans and the dummy who has come alive dance, and skate their way through an ice-skating extravaganza. The dancing here was especially effective, with the dancers cleverly creating the illusion of skating and movement.

In the second Act we move to Sweetieland which is a multicoloured fantasy wonderland! We follow Clara amusingly trying to sneak her way into the Sweetieland party, and watch as her true love gets married to someone else, breaking her heart. The staging here was immense, with a huge multi-tiered wedding cake as the backdrop, which had the cast climbing and dancing on it! Through this Act we also watch Clara blossom and grow, although it turns out it is actually all in her imagination! Her friends from the orphanage come to life as cupids, as various brightly coloured sweets too, and Dr and Mrs Dross are there too, ruling Sweetieland along with their bratty kids.

It’s all ok in the end though; sweet Clara wakes up at the drab orphanage, sad that it was just a dream. She does however find her true love asleep in bed, wakes him and then they escape out the window together as the curtain falls.

I was completely transfixed by this performance, and cannot get over the skill of the dancers. There didn’t seem to be a single foot, arm or otherwise out of place, and the lifts made those being lifted look as light as a feather. The dancers were so graceful, but equally there was a lot of humour injected throughout the performance, right from the first moment when the shy orphans sidle onto stage and say hello to the audience, showing their different characters from the off.

Despite being 30 years old this show has aged extremely well, and is as easily retold in 2021 as it must have been in the 90s. I was also reminded how much I love Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score, catching myself humming along as I watched.

Even if you don’t think you are a ballet fan, this is a fantastic show to see and I would highly recommend it for all ages. It is beautifully put together and sublimely delivered by New Adventures, captivating the whole audience throughout from beginning to end.

You will find when you visit Plymouth that you are given a warm welcome, with all staff I encountered being very helpful. It is a bright and airy theatre which not only shows plays, musicals and other productions, but also shows artists’ work. There is ample local parking within easy reach of the theatre and you can grab a quick drink or small snack on site. The theatre are carefully following safe covid related requirements, encouraging patrons to wear masks where possible, and helping you to feel safe.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £22
Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker is at Plymouth Theatre Royal until Saturday November 2021. For more information or to book tickets visit: https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/nutcracker/ or call the box office on 01752 267222

Plymouth Theatre Royal, Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR