Hollywood Ballet’s The Nutcracker Review
December 1, 2023 | Aratani Theatre – Los Angeles, CA, USA
There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of something good. But perhaps there’s nothing like the anticipation of something new and unexpected.
Such was the way I was feeling on Friday, December 1 for the formal debut of Los Angeles’s newest ballet company Hollywood Ballet. The evening doubled as the world premiere of the company’s own take on E. T. A. Hoffman’s The Nutcracker. In short, this was the company’s chance to prove itself.
On paper, the evening promised to impress.
The show was produced under the artistic direction of world-renowned dancers Petra Conti and Eris Nezha.
In addition to dancers on the company’s roster, it featured soloists from the Grand Kyiv Ballet, actors from a local improv troupe, and music performed by a hearty 27-musician orchestra. If Hollywood Ballet stays true to its promise to perform exclusively to live music, it will dethrone American Contemporary Ballet as the only ballet company in Los Angeles to do so.
“We’re making history tonight,” declared Conti to the audience before the show. “This is the beginning of something very big for Southern California.”
To be in the audience as Hollywood Ballet set out to achieve its grand vision was absolutely thrilling. The lackluster execution, therefore, came as a great surprise.
Hollywood Ballet's The Nutcracker Review
Less minor twists, Hollywood Ballet’s The Nutcracker drove forward the famed storyline. After the instantly recognizable overture, dancers sauntered into the scene from upstage left in the traditional processual manner – family unit by family unit.
The first apparent departure from the norm was the strikingly contemporary costuming. While the women were arrayed in heavily sequined form-fitting floor-length dresses, the men donned tuxedos, and their respective children (all young women, I’ll add) were outfitted in funkily patterned fit-and-flare party dresses.
That guests were dressed strictly in black-in-white failed to resonate with me until the curtain rose to reveal the red-accented costumes of core members of the Stahlbaum family. This was a clever touch.
As the party proceeded, it became increasingly evident that Hollywood Ballet’s The Nutcracker was one that desperately wished to be modern.
Dotted about the stage was an eclectic bunch of characters one might find at a holiday gathering today. These included a boozing fellow, cast formally as ‘Tigran the Raising Actor’, who appeared to have found the bottom of his fun flask relatively early into the evening; a spunky grandmother who channeled the vitality of someone one-third her age; hover parents; aspiring celebrities; and significant others you know won’t be invited back next year.
While there were some funny moments, Hollywood Ballet’s attempt to do something unique teetered the fine line between creativity and artificiality.
On the dancing, technical level varied. The young Julianna Hatton, for instance, performed the role of Clara with levels of virtuosity and magnetism characteristic of well-seasoned professionals. On the other hand, the party children and dolls struggled against choreography that seemed beyond their capabilities.
While the restrictive costuming of the adults made it decidedly more difficult to gauge their skill upfront, their keen musicality and polished form did not go unnoticed.
Setting the tone for the scene to follow, the party scene was all over the place. The constant movement coupled with over-the-top acting was overwhelming and muddled the clarity of the storyline, making Hollywood Ballet’s reluctance to stray too far from the familiar plot one of its greatest assets.
But perhaps chaos peaked in the subsequent battle scene which featured an expressly cast Martial Arts Mouse and a kitschy stretch routine.
Yes, you read that correctly.
By the death of the Mouse King, I’d arrived at the conclusion that the sooner the audience accepts Hollywood Ballet’s The Nutcracker as none to be taken too seriously, the better. It became much more enjoyable then.
The first act closed with one of the more enchanting moments of the show – the snow scene. Although the choreography was simple, this scene was a lovely display of the heretofore untapped talent of the company.
Draped in shimmery sequined shawls, the Snow Flakes flitted across the stage with a supernatural ethereality, creating the illusion of a light snowstorm. This effect was only amplified by the presence of a live orchestra.
Setting a new tone for Act II, the snow scene showcased the standard of The Nutcracker I went in expecting. Now, it was only a matter of keeping it up.
As a brand new company putting on a brand new Nutcracker, Hollywood Ballet was poised to deliver something well-suited to a 21st century audience – a flexibility that more established companies lack. Despite this and early evidence of its desire to be modern, the rest of the ballet pretty much amounted to your run-of-the-mill Nutcracker, including certain insensibilities.
It was shocking to me that in an era of increasing sensitivity and progressive change across the ballet world that Hollywood Ballet opted to lean into overtly cultural stereotypes so often portrayed in The Nutcracker’s second act variations.
This was most evident in the Spanish “Chocolate,” Arabian “Coffee,” and Chinese “Tea” variations that took little liberty to transcend outdated cultural appropriations.
That these representations can be offensive and have no real significance to the story are reason enough to leave them behind or at least make the necessary adjustments to ensure that the variations are more of a celebration of diversity in the ballet world.
Still, to give merit where merit is due, I want to turn attention toward the dancers.
While I’ve already praised Hatton for a technical prowess well-beyond her years, her performance warrants this repetition. She is not only an impressive dancer but also a remarkable actress who appears to take comfort in the spotlight.
Of the other lead characters, standout were Lena Harris and Bryn Graham McRee as Marzipan; Ali Talantbekov, Azamat Bolzhurov, and Talia Grafos as the Trepak trio; and Emily Van Citters as the Dew Drop Fairy.
Marzipan seemed to play perfectly to Harris and Graham McRee’s strengths. While lovely dancers, they stood out for their splendid characterization. The epitome of “artists”, their expressiveness of face and body served only to complement a pure love of dance that reflected in every movement. Further, there was natural congenial chemistry between them that I found lacking across other pairings.
Perhaps the most energetic divertissement was the Trepak. The trio quickly won the audience over with their exuberant jumps, fast footwork, and infectious vigor. Like brothers, Talantbekov and Bolzhurov seemed to play off of each other; every leap one took inspired the other to aim higher. As for Grafos, that her technique was wanting was heavily outweighed by a profound display of moxie.
In stark contrast to the Trepak trio was Van Critters whose bright serenity yielded a sense of awe. Completely captivating, she took on her role of Dew with the optimal balance between delicacy and charm and powerful dynamism that only comes with years of practice coupled with a sincere passion for what you do.
To put it bluntly, to make it as a creative in Los Angeles is hard. For a fresh ballet company to put on a production of even modest caliber in a city rife with world premieres and cutthroat competition must be counted a triumph.
Therefore, despite its shortcomings, Hollywood Ballet’s The Nutcracker must be praised as an all-around entertaining production that suggests promise for this budding company. I’m excited to see what they do next.
Featured Photo for Hollywood Ballet’s The Nutcracker of Emily Van Citters, Julianna Hatton, and Petra Conti. Photo by Jenny Stein.
