Nutcracker! (1992)

• • choreographer: Matthew Bourne
  • Designer: Anthony Ward
  • Lighting: Howard Harrison
  • Sound Designer: Paul Groothuis
  • Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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  1992 - The first production of Nutcracker was for Opera North, Bourne re-choreographed this for the centenary celebration. Premiered in Sadlers Wells.
• 2002 - New Adventures set up by Matthew Bourne and a revised version of Nutcracker premiered at Sadlers Wells. It was later televised and then a DVD recording produced.
• The ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ was choreographed originally by lev Ivanov, for the Imperial Ballet, based at the Marnisky Theatre in St Petersburg.
• The ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ was based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffman: ‘Der Nussknacker und der Mousekonig’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR_Z1LUDQuQ
• This was the first full-length story Ballet for Matthew Bourne. It was not in 2 Acts as the evening included first the ballet and the interval was followed by an opera. AMP only had 6 dancers, but with funding from Opera North, Kobler trust and Arts Council they were able to employ 20 dancers.
• The story centres around:

  • Clara
  • Nutcracker
  • Matron who becomes Queen Candy
  • Dr Dross who becomes King Sherbet
  • Sugar who becomes Princess Sherbet
  • Fritz who becomes Prince Bon Bon
• Everything is edible in Sweetieland and its inhabitants are judged not by how they look but

  by how they taste. Bourne is satirising how vain society naturally is. There’s also a lot of sexual inuendo implied in Act 2 with the licking and eating gestures which can be linked to Clara’s coming of age theme.
• Contrast between reality and fantasy - Bourne contrasts the grim, dark orphanage scene in Act 1 scene 1 with the magical worlds Clara visits.