A Note on the Nutcracker

Although music and ballet lovers today may find it difficult to believe, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is a relative newcomer to the American holiday tradition. Although it had its premiere in St. Petersburg in December of 1892, its first American performance did not occur until 1944, when a wartime San Francisco Ballet staged a production choreographed by William Christensen. Ten years later in 1954, George Balanchine choreographed his historic New York City Ballet version that is still performed. A version for the American Ballet Theatre by Mikhail Baryshnikov premiered in 1976, and was subsequently filmed with Gelsey Kirkland as Clara.

While I have attended the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre productions in years past, not to mention several Nutcrackers by regional companies, there is no finer interpretation, performance, and staging than the current San Francisco Ballet production choreographed by SF Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson. This production was taped last December by KQED and aired on PBS on December 18th. See pbs.org for future air dates.

There are a couple of reasons for the success of this production in my view. First, the sets by Michael Yeargan, and the costumes by Martin Pakledinaz are stunning, theatrical, and entertaining. Yeargan used the San Francisco 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition as his visual model and it works beautifully. However, what I found most intriguing was its theatrically logical scenario—unlike the Balanchine and Baryshnikov versions, Clara remains a little girl instead of the casting of a major ballerina costumed in a child’s dress. Also, Clara re-awakens at the end of Act II back in her living room, believing it to be just a dream…but not quite sure. The New York City Ballet version never returns her to her home; Act II ends with Clara exiting on a magical sleigh—an interpretation that always left me cold.

The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Martin West, is excellent. Try to view this one if you can.