Saturday 24 December 2011
Peter Schaufuss' Nutcracker: A Few Funny Moments Outweighed By 'Pointless Voyeuristic Pornography'
Disappointment is a terrible thing, especially at Christmas. And the only polite way to describe the Peter Schaufuss' Nutcracker : A Happy Dream at the Brighton Dome this year is disappointing.
I have been attending high quality performances at the Dome Concert Hall for years and this is the worst thing I have ever seen, without doubt.
At 1 hour and 40-odd minutes-with a 20 minute interval included in that time; as against the more usual two hours (many reach 2 hours long) it might also be described as short.
Having been subjected to weak or non-existent sets, and then some of the weakest choreography ever seen in the Dome complex (famed for its now great tradition in this sphere), this was just too much for some people.
There were funny moments, there were little sparkles from the talented cast, but it was not enough. The faces on the adult members of the audience were a kind of irritated bemusement, the kids just looked bored. 'Well, that was crap,' the woman in front of me said to her husband.
I have seen about ten versions of the Nutcracker, from traditional Russian ballets, to Matthew Bourne's wonderful show a few years ago at Saddlers Wells. This is the only one I have truly disliked.
I thought that maybe the new treatment of the story would be refreshing, the 'Nutcracker' Doll himself has a golden bike helmet, the rats/mice were replaced by adults.
Panic began to set in though, when a TV onstage began showing images of Saddam Hussein, US Helicopters and Colonel Quaddifi etc. In the name of God, do we really need to see this stuff pointlessly peddled out to us with no context, no reason, or any form of an on-stage resolution of the points thrown up by this act? No, we do not.
I do not expect a performance to answer all the questions it raises but I do expect it to present material in a way that least forms a coherent question.
Using the images of such men, who lived and died in such terrible ways in such a cynical and pointless way reduces them to a kind of voyeuristic pornography that 'excites' the audience without tackling the issues. Doing it in the Nutcracker at Christmas in front of kids who are looking for real festive treat is not controversial or clever, its just sort of crap.
I have seen that other reviews have been more kind than I have, but the lacklustre clapping throughout (bar for the orchestra who got a great roar) told its own story, in my view.
4/10
by: Howard Young (Arts Editor)
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