The Nutcracker Marches to Glasgow’s King’s Theatre

Once again, the Russian State Ballet of Siberia’s rendition of The Nutcracker dazzles with artistic expressiveness that rivals the top ballet troupes of the world. Alluring costumes with soothing colors picked from a palette of candy canes and candy wool transport you to the winter wonderland of Tchaikovsky’s Slavic winters, even if it’s a balmy 10 degrees Celsius in Glasgow on the last day of February when the ballet company performed on the last day of its weeklong visit to King’s Theatre.

With choreography based on Vasily Vainonen’s 1934 version of The Nutcracker, I was pleasantly surprised to see more pirouettes from Maria than the George Balanchine version I’m more familiar with in America.

The ballet is a condensed 1 hour and 45 minutes, presumably to keep younger audience members enthralled with the plot line. But the shortened version leaves out some of the dramatic buildup essential to even a good children’s book. The Moor painted in brown face paint and muddy-colored hands wouldn’t tour in the U.S. without eliciting street protests organized by the civil-rights activist and Reverend Al Sharpton.

Nevertheless, The Nutcracker production from the Russian State Ballet of Siberia entertains with its stunning costumes, artistic sensibilities and gorgeous dancing.

-Helen I. Hwang