Photo Credit: Mark Frohna
Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker was the last of his trio of amazing ballets, the other two being the equally gorgeous Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. But only The Nutcracker has taken on both the honor and burden of being, for many a ballet company, an annual tradition. A straightforward production is fine on its own, but the fact that Milwaukee Ballet’s production is titled Michael Pink’s The Nutcracker tells you that this company’s take is anything but traditional.
Michael Pink is both the Milwaukee Ballet productions director, artistic director and choreographer. His version of The Nutcracker differs in many ways from the original toy nutcracker-turned-prince fairytale. It was adapted and choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, which they based upon an Alexandre Dumas adaptation of a story titled The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann—the great Romantic writer of fantastical tales. Thus, Pink’s artistic license taken for his own vision is not to be viewed as at all heretical; toying with the plotline is far from new. The only real questions are: Does this particular Nutcracker work? By and large, it does. Are the performers up to the task? Definitely.
The 2018 version follows that of the past several years, with the only notable changes in leading artists and supporting cast—all of whom, nevertheless, prove more than up to the task of presenting a fast-paced, colorful, entertaining show suitable for viewers of all ages. Indeed, Pink’s The Nutcracker is most notable for its kid-friendliness; children populate the stage as well as the audience. The stage is nearly never bereft of children; kids take on some of the supporting roles that would normally go to adults. His formula seems to work; I noticed nary a creature stirring (not even a mouse), in the child-filled audience, no matter how quiet a particular scene or dance may be. Clearly, they were rapt.
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The set design, lighting, costuming and music (the latter from the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra and Milwaukee Children’s Choir) give the proceedings eye-popping visuals and a fine rendering of Tchaikovsky’s delightful, evocative score. Dancing was excellent throughout, with leads Alana Griffith, Annia Hidalgo, Randy Crespo, Garrett Glassman, Lahna Vanderbush and Timothy O’Donnell offering gracefully athletic movement. The show remains a splendid way to spend a couple of hours for young and old alike, surrounded by nothing but joy and beauty. Couldn’t we all use a little more of those in our lives?
Through Dec. 26 at the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-902-2103 or visit marcuscenter.org.
