THIS IS NO STUFFY 'NUTCRACKER'
Published on December 11, 2009
Yakima Herald-Republic
by PATRICK D. MUIR ON MAGAZINE
There's comfort and familiarity in "The Nutcracker," and that's a good thing -- but that doesn't mean it has to be staid.
The Eugene Ballet Company production, which rolls into Yakima for two shows Saturday at the Capitol Theatre, is an example of that.
"We take the ballet seriously, in how we manage it," says Riley Grannan, the company's managing director. "But the look is whimsical. We do things differently from other productions, unapologetically."
That means pyrotechnic effects, a swashbuckling mouse king and the idea of having protagonist Clara be a teenager in love with her prince rather than a girl playing with a doll. See, Grannan says, it's still the same "Nutcracker," familiar and warm like hot cocoa but not so predictable as to lull viewers to sleep.
"There will be no sleeping," he says with a laugh. "I think kids will sit there with straight backs, rapt with attention."
The ballet performances, paired with music by the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, are a biannual tradition at the Capitol. And they entail much more than just what happens on the stage.
"We close the street," says Capitol spokeswoman Nela Sheppard. "Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will be here. We'll have live reindeer. It really is a winter wonderland."
There were still tickets available for both shows as of press time Wednesday, although Sheppard expected the matinee to sell out. But even those who can't get in to the ballet can come by, have a cup of hot chocolate and see Santa, she says.
The Eugene Ballet's job is to match the festive Christmas atmosphere on the street, and it will have 50 local kids for each show to help. The children, recruited from local dance schools and programs, will perform side by side with the 24 professional dancers in the show.
"There's nothing like having very positive, excited kid energy," Grannan says.
The kids' participation further contributes to the production's whimsy, as do the costumes created by former Disney designer Don Carson. The idea is to keep the show lively, so people who see it stay engaged.
"They can expect a highly entertaining, theatrical event," he says. "This is not deep psychodrama. There are versions that do that. We don't."
Instead, the production relies on visual daring. The scene of Clara walking through the snow, for instance, includes dancers gliding past from every direction as if ice skating. And the company's use of more male dancers than the typical "Nutcracker" enables the show to incorporate athleticism and power as well as grace.
"This way you can lift (the female dancers), you can throw them," Grannan says. "I think it makes it visually much more dynamic."
By the time the dancers pull into Yakima, they'll have done 20 of the 36 scheduled shows on their tour, so the ballet should be well-honed. It won't suffer from any midtour doldrums, though, because the Yakima performances are two of the rare instances on this tour in which the ballet will get live orchestra accompaniment.
"It affects it in a very positive way," Grannan says. "It sort of makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck when you have the music coming out of the orchestra pit."
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