The Latvian National Ballet's version of the Christmas treat takes us straight back to 1890s Yuletide. The lavish art-nouveau decor of the Stahlbaums' salon gives way to frozen trees and icy wastes as Clara and her Nutcracker Prince make their way by troika to the barley-sugar twist palace of the Kingdom of Sweets. The production is amusing and gentle - even the demon multi-headed Mouse King isn't too scary - and gimmicks are kept to a minimum: Drosselmeyer (an elegant fakir from Igors Pavlenins) sprouts real flames from his fingertips, and the Christmas tree magically grows.
The evening's appeal lies in its humour and the excellence of the performances. The company's young dancers are not just good technicians. They grab the choreography by the throat and dance with spirit and attack, travelling across the space with dazzling leaps and spins. The agile corps display dashing partnering in the ensembles, with the girls vigorously propelled like heat-seeking missiles. The arthritic antics of the creaking grandfather trying to cut a measure on Christmas Eve contrast wonderfully with the fireworks of the grand pas de deux.
Tiny but power-packed, leading ballerina Julija Gurvica is a lively young Clara and a dazzling Sugar Plum Fairy, her body almost possessed by the voluptuous Tchaikovsky score. She has that rare ability to send chills down the spine: thrilling in the allegro movements, poised in the demanding balances, and at one point hurled from prince to cavalier like a Christmas parcel.
Alexey Avechkin is equally impressive as the prince: tall and imposing, he is a shrewd partner and a fiery soloist. And in the character dances, soloist Zane Teikmane is sinuously mesmeric with her pagoda-shaped headdress and undulating midriff.
· Until December 29. Box office: 0161-876 2000.
