The Nutcracker, Nationwide
Across the ballet stages of the UK, it’s that Sugar Plum-and-snowflakes time of year. In Scotland, Scottish Ballet’s artistic director Christopher Hampson is reviving the version of The Nutcracker (Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat to 3 Jan) that was created by the company’s founding artistic director Peter Darrell, commissioning wittily new Victorian designs from visual wizard Lez Brotherston. Meanwhile, in Birmingham, Peter Wright’s vintage production of The Nutcracker has returned for another well-deserved outing (Birmingham Hippodrome, Sat) and English National Ballet’s version plays in London (Coliseum, WC2, to 4 Jan).
Various venues
The Little Match Girl, London
Choreographer Arthur Pita niftily sidesteps the usual Christmas source material in his adaptation of one of Hans Christian Andersen’s lesser-known tales. Updated to an imaginary Italian city on a freezing Christmas Eve, Pita’s work tells the story of a cold and hungry match girl, who is desperate to sell her wares to the few people left on the snowy streets. In her forlorn state, the little girl stares up at the night sky and sees a vision of her dead grandmother beckoning her towards the moon; soon she is gliding up into the ether to join her. Eccentric spacecrafts, Pita’s inspiringly imaginative choreography and a soundtrack by the brilliant Frank Moon will guarantee fun for all ages.
The Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadlers Wells, E1, Sat to 4 Jan
