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‘Nutcracker’ ballet
may be the best yetNutcracker
By John Berger A perfect production is a magical blending of talent, material and performance in which everything comes together and builds to a dramatic climax.
Special to the Star-BulletinBallet Hawaii achieves all that with its production of "Nutcracker" this weekend in the Blaisdell Concert Hall. This is quite possibly the best presentation of the Christmas season classic to have been staged here. It is certainly a marvelous celebration of the wonders of the imagination and the timeless beauty of ballet.
Considering that Act 2 is set in the Kingdom of the Sweets, it seems appropriate to describe the experience last night in culinary terms as "a series of delightful choreographic confections served with sufficient spacing between treats to allow the dramatic flavor of each to be fully savored."
A glorious pas de deux by Jennifer Chipman (Snow Queen) and John Selya (Snow King) closes Act 1 just as an exquisite dessert closes a long banquet. The 20-minute intermission then allows that wonder to be digested a bit. The process continues a while longer as "Nutcracker" resumes at a much lower level of intensity in Act 2.
And then more delicacies arrive and feasting resumes. There's the first encounter with Angel Corella (Cavalier) and Ashley Tuttle (Sugar Plum Fairy), the exquisite and very sensual "coffee break" with Chipman and Selya as the Arabs, and Kanako Imayoshi's enticing performance as Dew Drop.
When Corella and Tuttle return for their make-it-or-break-it Grand Pas de Deux, we discover (to mix metaphors) that we've only just begun to dine!
Take note, Honolulu: This may well be the last time we'll see Corella on stage here unless he opts to return to dance for his own enjoyment. We're catching him on the way up, and what a talent! Corella has more to offer than power and speed and precision. There's charisma reminiscent of Nureyev or Baryshnikov. A bit of magic was evident last night as well.
Corella's solos were precisely aimed bursts of energy that thrilled the audience. His work with Tuttle was equally impressive, and she proved a good match for him.
Selya and Chipman eclipsed their beautiful pas de deux of Act 1 with their seductive interpretation of "Arabian Coffee." Chipman exuded sexuality with every movement, and Selya handled her perfectly.
Imayoshi earned applause as well. Other audience favorites were the Soldier (Alexander Brady), Russian men (Brady, Selya and Ryan Pang) and lambs (Area Kaimi Amaral, Brandi Kahanu, Kimberly Low, Megan Oshiro, Natalie Schull, Chantal Tochika and Juleen Wong).
Michael Vernon added a striking, slightly ominous aura as the mysterious, magical Drosselmeier, and it's a tribute to Minou Lallemand and WillieDean Ige that their "Spanish Chocolate" duet left us wanting more.
The Honolulu Symphony did a fine job with the beloved Tchaikovsky melodies, Anne Namba's beautiful 19th-century costumes made the lengthy Silberhaus party a visual delight, and deft bits of comic choreography defused any sense of Christmas Eve trauma from the death of the Mouse King.
