Ballet Hawaii’s newest production of “The Nutcracker” is another delightful staging of Tchaikovsky’s beloved seasonal masterpiece.
Once again the major roles are danced by guests from major national companies. Once again the cast performs to the music of Ann Krinitsky and the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra rather than to pre-recorded music tracks.
Beyond those basic elements, Artistic Director Pamela Taylor Tongg is celebrating her 30th anniversary with Ballet Hawaii by giving Honolulu a production that is an exciting blend of the familiar and the new.
“Familiar” includes Megan Fairchild returning to star as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Margaret Severin-Hansen dancing the showcase roles of Snow Queen and Dew Drop. Timour Bourtasenkov is back too — this year to play Dr. Silberhaus in Act I and then radiate machismo as the male Spaniard in Act II. Also back for 2015 is Hawaii favorite John Selya. Selya updated and overhauled the character of the mechanical toy soldier in 2012 when he added hip hop-style choreography to it; his latest variations earned him spontaneous applause from the opening night audience on Friday.
“New” includes Brazilian-born Kleber Robello, a principal with the Miami City Ballet, dancing a brilliant Cavalier opposite Fairchild’s Sugar Plum Fairy, Hungarian Richard Krusch, a principal with the Carolina Ballet, superb as the Snow King opposite Severin-Hansen, and Pierre-Francois Vilanoba who gives this “Nutcracker” a younger and much less frightening Drosselmeyer.
“New” means seeing Jared Angle, last year’s Cavalier, returning to dance the roles of the Harlequin Doll and the lead Russian. It also means enjoying the sensuous and sinuous movements of Micki Kolberg as Selya’s partner in the Arabian segment.
In short, perennial “Nutcracker” fans who enjoyed previous Ballet Hawaii productions will find many of their favorite dancers are back to entertain them once again. Those looking for something different will find new faces and new combinations of dancers to enjoy.
The big moments dazzle. First and foremost, the physical chemistry between Fairchild and Rebello makes the Grand Pas De Deux a marvel. Rebello is expansive, intense and charismatic — his solos earned the spontaneous applause they deserved. Fairchild’s fluid precision is beyond awesome. At times the two of them appear to defy gravity.
Severin-Hansen and Krusch bring similarly high levels of performance to the soothing yet dramatic Snow Pas De Deux that closes Act I.
These two superbly matched couples deserved every bit of applause they received.
Other audience favorites on opening night included Bourtasenkov and Gabrielle Chock as the lead Spaniards, Selya and Kolberg (Arabian), Raven Matsushita (Little Bo Peep) and shepherdesses Taylor Oshiro and Anli Valdez, and Severin-Hansen for her exquisite performance as Dew Drop.
Ballet Hawaii Vice-President Dr. Philip I. McNamee stands out as always with his small but memorable “jig” in Act I, and Derek Daniels makes two crowd-pleasing appearances as the Mouse King and La Mere Guignol. Keen eyes will also notice veteran stage actor and movement choreographer Jonathan Sypert aka iNTREPid as one of the parents in Act I. Sypert gets a chance to show his acrobatic prowess as one of the three Russians, dancing with Angle and Carlos Casillas, in Act II.
Taylor Tongg slips in more detailed character work in Act I than can be appreciated in a single viewing. The adult party guests are almost a show in and of themselves, and the battle beneath the Christmas tree — the Mouse King’s rodent army versus the Nutcracker, Marie and the toy soldiers — is elaborate as well.
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“The Nutcracker,” by Peter I. Tchaikovsky; choreography by Tom Pazik, additional choreography by Timour Bourtasenkov, Derek Daniels, Minou Lallemand, Diane Letoto and John Selya; staged by Pamela Taylor Tongg; set design by Peter Dean Beck; lighting design by Trad A Burns; costume design by Anne Namba, David Heuvel and Sharie Hartwell. Running time: 1 hours 39 minutes.
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THE NUTCRACKER
presented by Ballet Hawaii
Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday [DEC 19] and 2 p.m. Sunday [DEC 20]
Cost: $35-$99
Info: ticketmaster.com or 866-448-7849
