Champaign Urbana Ballet and Sinfonia da Camera concocted a sweet treat this past weekend in the form of music and ballet to prepare its audience for the holidays as they performed The Nutcracker at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
Not only did this production leave visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, the show left its audience and myself speechless as we were transported back to an era of mischief and magic in a performance that has been enjoyed and loved by countless people through the generations.
On the night of the performance, the theater slowly filled up and the dark curtain was drawn down to leave in its wake an air of mystery. There was one projected white symbol in the shape of a half-circle on the curtain.
What was it? I couldn’t decipher it, and it bothered me. Was it a lock of some sort…or a key?
An announcer’s voice came over the microphone, saying, “We have a delay, but the performance will begin shortly.”
The audience, which had been silent until this point erupted again in enthusiastic chatter. Then, finally, the lights dimmed and a hush fell over the theater. The symbol on the curtain began to spin to form a circle and take shape. I held my breath as I waited for my answer. It grew and expanded and finally took its ultimate (inevitable) form: a snowflake. A beautiful snowflake danced before us, and as the curtain began to rise to uncover the hidden beauty of the stage, I stared in awe. The projector had created a snowstorm of enchanting snowflakes as the background.
After a moment, the snowstorm ended and the stage was set for the performance to begin.
A young boy and girl busily stacked gifts on top of each other, until the small troublesome redheaded boy decided to swat the gifts out of their hands and gleefully prance off the stage. The remaining boy picked up the gifts but left a flower pot behind, and the girl pus her hands on her hips in an agitated manner and exited the stage.
From this first playful, mood-setting moment of that first scene I had a sense that I was going to enjoy every moment of the show; and I was right about that. There’s not one thing that they could have changed to make me happier about the way this performance was presented. I think that they were able to take a show about which a lot of people think, “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all” and really put their own spin on it.
I have to give props to the exceptionally creative minds of Andy and David Warfel and anyone else who was part of the creation of the charming set designs and whimsical lighting that made this play feel a little bit more contemporary than it might otherwise have been. The use of technology in place of actual props, for instance, was ingenious and masterful.
The way that Sinfonia da Camera performed The Nutcracker Suite: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was impressive. They didn’t miss a beat, and Krannert Center’s ability to emphasize acoustic sound proved that. They made this song even more enchanting and dreamy, which is not an easy feat.
The performers and their costumes are probably part of the reason that this entire rendition of The Nutcracker felt so imaginative and magical. Many of these dancers are very young, talented and graceful. They can pull off extremely difficult acts of twirling, leaping, bending, gliding, and practically flying through the air, making it all look effortless. Hands down, I wouldn’t be surprised to see several of these younger performers move on to places like New York, Chicago, or even international stages as their careers continue. Also, whoever added the red laser eyes to the Rat Queen’s already elegantly creepy costume? I’m so glad that you did, because it was eerily beautiful to see on stage.
At the beginning of the show I may have been a little bit worried when it started out with a few glitches or “technical difficulties,” but the entire performance proved to be the most mesmerizing take on The Nutcracker that I will probably see in my lifetime. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the Champaign Urbana Ballet or hear Sinfonia da Camera, then I suggest going to see one of their performances even if it isn’t going to involve fairies, soldiers, a rat queen, and royalty.
Photos courtesy of Champaign-Urbana Ballet