The Nutcracker at the Grove Theatre Dunstable Review
The Nutcracker
Grove Theatre, Dunstable
18 October 2015
Reviewed by Dorothy White
Last night I watched a fabulous performance of The Nutcracker by the Russian State Ballet and Opera House, performed live on stage at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable. I was with my 12 year old granddaughter who loves to dance.
The theatre was reasonably full, the audience ranged in age from around 3 or 4 years old to 80 or more.
It was an absolutely brilliant performance from the moment the curtain rose. The dancers were all excellent as you would expect from a Russian company.
Opening scenes showed families arriving for the Christmas Eve party being held by the President and his wife. The children burst in and danced happily round the Christmas tree, excited at the thought of receiving presents from Uncle Drosselmeyer, their favourite uncle. They were not disappointed, and watched in amazement as some of the toys come to life
Marie and Fritz know Uncle Drosselmeyer always brings them a special present, this time it was a nutcracker doll with a strange expression on its face. Marie loves the doll, but her brother Fritz grabs it and accidently breaks it! Uncle Drosselmeyer put the doll back together and Marie cuddled it lovingly.
The party over, the guests go home and the children go to bed.
Marie, cuddling her doll, goes back into the dark living room and magical things begin to happen as we follow her on her journey.
The principal dancers were fantastic, as were the rest of the dancers in this amazing production. According to the programme several parts are played by two dancers so I am unsure who danced last night.
A truly wonderful story with dances from different countries.
The choreography was by Konstantin Uralsky based on original choreography by Marius Pepita and Lev Ivanov.
The staging was simple. The costumes were fabulous and colourful. The dancers were all excellent.
My granddaughter sat transfixed throughout the show. Her only disappointment was that she was not on stage dancing among them, nor was she able to meet any of the dancers.
She messaged her mother on the way home ‘It was fantastic!!’
It truly was. I can recommend this show to audiences of all ages!! Look out for it in your area.
Rating: 5/5 
The Russian State Ballet is currently on tour with The Nutcracker, for more information or tour dates visit www.amande-concerts.co.uk/russian-ballet-season-2015/tickets.
For other shows at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable visit www.grovetheatre.co.uk.
Grove Theatre, Grove Park, Court Drive, Dunstable, LU5 4GP | 01582 602080
