Nutcracker! at The Hippodrome Theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The award winning Sir Matthew Bourne has brought his quirky version of the classic ballet, Nutcracker back on tour to threatres across the country. He is a choreographer for contemporary dance and dance theatre. Bourne was knighted back in 2016 for his services to Dance.
“Nutcracker! follows Clara’s journey through a shimmering, ice-skating wonderland to the scrumptious candy kingdom of Sweetieland, influenced by the lavish Hollywood musicals of the 1930’s”
“Tchaikovsky’s glorious score and Anthony Ward’s delectable sets and costumes combine with Bourne’s dazzling choreography to create a fresh and charmingly irreverent interpretation of the classic. Expect a sprinkling of delicious new surprises in this re-imagined production.”
Beings as this is my first ballet this is going to be hard to judge for you guys. Let’s start with all of the amazingness that ensued during this 90mins ballet. The costume design was absolutely stunning, the craftsmanship was unbelievable. The whole 90 minutes was a feast for the eyes and this included the set design too. From the props to the backdrops and everything in between. As a designer I can fully appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this production, hats off.
Next up was the amazing performances of all the actors on stage, the talent and athleticism is by far the best I have seen on stage. I can’t fathom to understand the training that goes in to their bodies to allow them to move that way, the performers do are amazing. They included with the ballet some other cultural dances such as flamenco and I swear I spotted a few steps from Beyoncé’s single lady footwork in there!
I felt that this is a short performance as it was only 45 minutes each act. Act one was over so fast I couldn’t believe it and was confused when the curtain fell, but this might be normal, as I said my first ballet. The general feel of act one was enjoyable, quirky, intriguing and sassy. This might be why it went so fast to be honest. Act two was a little different, once the story had moved from the real world in to a more fantasy realm everything felt a little more intense, colourful and mind boggling. I enjoyed both acts but both for very different reasons but the same vigour.
Overall the Nutcracker! was a delight to experience, a cheeky, funny love story with a quirky pantomime undertone.
The tickets cost from £22 each and we like to sit in the lower circle in the middle. These seats are perfect as you can see all that was going on with ease, obviously the front row of the lower circle is best if you can get the tickets. This time we sat at the back of the middle circle on row K seat 40.
Tickets are still on sale for all remaining shows over the next week. The Nutcracker is on from the 8th Feb to 12th Feb at the Hippodrome.
We would give this show 4 out of 5 and definitely recommend it for all adult.
Foodies of Brum 
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