We acquired press tickets in alternate for this overview
Friday night noticed not simply the opening of The Nutcracker at Cardiff Citadel, but additionally the primary evening of 5 weeks of performances in ‘The Spiegeltent’, a singular efficiency area housing three completely different productions over the festive season, with new household musical Santa’s Want and Castellana, a cabaret-style present for over 16s, each opening on Friday 2 December.
It was my first expertise inside a Spiegeltent and, nestled contained in the fort grounds with the lights and sounds of the ice rink and meals stalls of Winter Wonderland close by, it actually offered a comfortable but decadent venue for this new tackle the traditional ballet.
A Spiegeltent (which suggests ‘magic mirrors’) is a hand-hewn pavilion, courting again to the late 1800s when it was used as a travelling dance corridor throughout Europe. Luxurious pink velvet material kind the circus model dome ceiling, glitterballs dangle from the ceiling, their lights reflecting on the lower mirrors that sit behind the cubicles alongside the perimeters of the venue. The viewers of round 500 sit across the stage, which juts cat-walk model into the pavilion.
This specific Spiegeltent is one in every of solely a handful that stay on the earth. Every one is exclusive and with its personal title, persona, and magnificence. This one, The Fortuna, is owned by Dutch firm Van Rosmalen, and has performed host to a few of the world’s best cabaret performers and musicians. It arrived in Cardiff on a number of vehicles which have been pushed over from Holland, and at the moment sits within the fort grounds, within the shadow of the Norman preserve.
It’s a befitting venue for tonight’s manufacturing of The Nutcracker, which provides the traditional ballet a Welsh twist.
As a substitute of Clara, we’ve got Carys. As a substitute of the Mouse King we’ve got the Mari Lwyd. And as an alternative of dancing sugarplums we’ve got Uncle Idris, Bopa Sheila and Bopa Linda, as we be a part of the Williams’ household Christmas in full swing.
This model of The Nutcracker was created for Rubicon Dance Firm, one in every of Wales’ flagship dance corporations which sadly needed to shut in September of this yr. It initially carried out in December 2021 as a part of the Welsh Dance Theatre Belief, tailored for colleges throughout Wales and even carried out for HRH the Prince and Princess of Wales as a part of the Cardiff Citadel 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Jamiel Devernay Laurence is the director and choreographer, working with Richard Perry and John Manders, the producers of the inaugural Cardiff Christmas Pageant and administrators of Stay Beneath The Stars.
Beneath his steerage, ballet mixes with all types of different classical and extra fashionable dancing and even some delicate acrobatics, whereas the rating blends Tchaikovsky with Duke Ellington’s jazz interpretation of The Nutcracker.
Ffion Elmer as Carys and Zach Parkin as The Nutcracker have some lovely duets collectively, whereas some extra playful and humours routines come from Fixed Vigier as Uncle Idris and Linda Sims and Sheila Williams as Bopa Linda and Sheila. I significantly favored the sultry strikes of Amber Howells and Cameron Everitt as Carys’ mom and father, as they rekindle their romance to Duke Ellington’s jazz rating. We additionally loved the spectacular snowflakes – who took to the stage at Cardiff’s Platinum Jubilee – tumbling and avalanching across the stage in good formation.
The manufacturing is unquestionably family-friendly nevertheless, youthful kids would possibly discover it somewhat complicated in the event that they don’t have a lot data of The Nutcracker story or are unfamiliar with ballet and the idea of a narrative being instructed by way of dance. My youngest is eight and received somewhat confused at instances whereas my 11 and 12 yr olds, who’re extra aware of the dream sequences of The Nutcracker, in addition to a lot of the music, discovered it simpler to grasp, and seen when the Welsh adjustments got here in.
Ballet purists could not just like the adjustments, however personally I believed it a unusual, humorous, and fascinating efficiency and a artistic danger that has paid off. I favored the mix of various kinds of dance and music, in addition to the attractive venue and cabaret really feel. Being set amid the opposite Christmas attraction at Cardiff Citadel, all of it felt very festive. A fantastic addition to the seasonal theatrical choices in Cardiff.
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The Nutcracker is at Cardiff Citadel till Sunday 27 November, with performances at 2pm and 6.30pm.
Santa’s Want, a brand new magical household musical runs from Friday 2-Saturday 31 December
Castellana, a brand new manufacturing for these aged 16+ combines cabaret, dwell music and spectacular stunts, and runs from Friday 2 December-Sunday 1 January.
For extra data see the web site right here.
