Photo by Mark Frohna
Just because it’s annual and family friendly doesn’t mean it isn’t great. After viewing them both this fall, I think Michael Pink’s The Nutcracker is entirely the equal of his Dracula in quality: perfectly composed, multi-layered, economical, clear in its intentions, musically astute, visually stunning and bursting with imagination. Drosselmeyer—the toy maker who creates the doll that gives the show its title—could be Pink’s doppelgänger. Warmly danced by Timothy O’Donnell on opening night, every movement was love-filled and gentle as he showered the stage with glittering good will, struck up his dream vaudeville and then sweetly waved a modest farewell while the huge cast re-materialized in all their sur-reality; the Marcus Center audience cheered.
Highly outré ballets have been staged to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s unbeatable score, but most versions tell the basic story: Drosselmeyer’s nutty gift to young Clara comes to life, battles mice and takes her to a snowy fairyland where international dolls and desserts dance for her before she wakes on Christmas day. Pink’s first great variation, I think, was to create the role of Clara’s brother, Fritz, for dancer Marc Petrocci when he made his version 13 years ago. Fritz sometimes appears as a minor character in other versions, but here the role is almost the size of Peter Pan (another great Petrocci-Pink creation). No other dancer in the company has had the chance to develop a role over so many years. That knowledge was evident in Petrocci’s endlessly inventive, vital performance on opening night. He and Nicole Teague (Clara) almost never leave the stage—both were effortlessly youthful, funny and true. Together, they made the ballet’s slight adventure story matter.
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Pink’s second great idea was to give Clara a sister, Marie, couple her with Drosselmeyer’s nephew, Karl, and give them generous displays of classical ballet virtuosity because, let’s face it, we come for those breathtaking lifts! Valerie Harmon and Davit Hovhannisyan were masters of the art on Saturday night. In the past, it’s bothered me that Pink’s choreography for the Sugar Plum Fairy variation didn’t match the tune’s rhythms; Harmon showed me how the steps float above all that. Hovhannisyan is great because he makes his perfect partnering, leaps and spins, intensely human; well, except when he’s playing a wooden doll.
This ballet honors children and the art of parenting. The work of the many child dancers on Saturday was superb.
The Nutcracker runs through Dec. 27 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-902-2103 or visit milwaukeeballet.org.
