American Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” is now in its third season, but even if you’ve seen it before, this is a “Nut” you’ll want to crack again.
A mix of vets and newbies in Friday’s opening night cast gave us more to discover.
The big break went to Eric Tamm, a corps dancer tapped to pinch hit for the injured Herman Cornejo. Tamm partnered principal Xiomara Reyes in the main pas de deux, which, in Alexei Ratmansky’s version of the classic, is performed by an adult version of Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.
It was an endurance test: Ratmansky’s choreography for the duet is some of the hardest out there. The man is constantly on the run, lifting his partner and then racing into tricky turns. Tamm looked winded, but did it all, including some lovely pirouettes, with a Pepsodent smile and no fumbles.
Reyes was his ideal partner. Small and sweet but strong, she could have done without him if she had to.
Fourteen-year-old Adelaide Clauss, long-legged and fleet, got her first shot at dancing the young Clara. Her Nutcracker, Philip Perez, is the same age but has been doing his part since its first season. He’s grown into a poet as well as prince, and his wonder at being transformed from a wooden doll to flesh and blood is touching. He and Adelaide have great chemistry as they race through the snow together.
As for the story, Ratmansky’s setting of the holiday classic is traditional — with a twist. Same beautiful Tchaikovsky music, but think Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens, as told by Calvin and Hobbes.
Though the ballet opens begins in the usual 19th-century upper-class home, manners are a thin veneer. The young guests at the party bow obediently, then they push, shove and stomp around impatiently.
Humor is everywhere, but mixed in with it is an edge of danger. The mice are zany but mean, wearing tailcoats and easily outfighting the soldiers. Clara and the Prince play in the snow but nearly freeze to death.
And just as everyone saw Hobbes as merely a stuffed tiger, no one but Clara seems to notice that the Nutcracker is life-sized. Ratmansky’s eye for careful detail adds up.
The best is saved for last. There’s a poignant ending where Clara bids farewell to both the child and adult prince, and continues her own journey to adulthood. It’s Ratmansky’s greatest gift — a sweet but skewed sensibility — and that’s what makes his ballets worth a repeat viewing.