Everyone was beautiful at the ballet - but is that enough?

Christmas for the English National Ballet means a resplendent and joyously festive production of the Nutcracker. Since its’ inception, the much loved balletic masterpiece has been a mainstay of the company’s repertoire. Created in 2010, Wayne Eagling’s largely unchanged production returns to The Coliseum complete with glistening snowflakes, some ghoulish mice and a generous helping of magic that every Nutcracker needs. 

Of course, it is hard to find a Nutcracker without charm. The story of a young Clara, who dreams on Christmas eve that she battles an evil Mouse King, journeys through the snow and becomes the Sugar Plum Fairy, has a wonderfully festive spirit that appeals to young and old alike. And it is set to Tchaikovsky’s sublime score – played in this case to perfection by the orchestra of English National Ballet under the baton of Simon Thew. 

As a child Clara is danced beautifully by Sereina Mowlem and Freddie by Basil James, both of whom are a credit to the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. Anton Lukovkin’s is exemplary as the Mouse King bringing an villainous quality to the role that wouldn’t look out of place in a seasonal pantomime. But it is the sheer excellence of dancers Fabian Reimar as the Nutcracker and Erina Takahashi as Clara /The Sugar Plum Fairy that take your breath away, the exquisite lines they hold and the sheer energy and vigor they put into their performances make them the power du force of this production. 

The opulent scenery and costumes alone hold the audience in a state of enchantment, from a glittering ballroom to a magical snowy land and the frontage of the home with its frozen pond are stunning to behold, and are testament to Peter Farmer’s spectacular designs.

This largely traditional production stays true to the fairytale essence of the work, 

appealing to the appreciative family filled audience - very rarely have I witnessed such a captive audience that were so quiet and transfixed as they were at this performance. Eagling’s production plays it quite safe and perhaps could do more to set it apart from the many incarnations of the Nutcracker that have come before it. That said, English National Ballet’s version is a beautiful piece of Christmas escapism that will transport you to magical a far away land. 

The Nutcracker is being performed at The Colisieum until the 4th of January. For tickets and more information please visit: http://www.ballet.org.uk/whats-on/nutcracker/

Jibber Jabber Jibber Jabber

The Little Angel Theatre’s latest production is inspired by Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical poem the Jabberwocky, charmingly retold using: playful delivery, 

an entrancing soundscape and an inventive use of puppetry. We follow a young “beamish boy” as he navigates through an enchanted forest on his quest to defeat the notorious Jabberwock. On his journey, the nameless protagonist crosses paths with an array of mysterious creatures such as: the fluttering Jubjub birds, the futuristic Mome Raths and the fearsome Bandersnatch. Peter O’Rourke’s imaginative and cleverly crafted puppets breath life into Carroll’s wacky and offbeat creations.

Excitedly bouncing on his main operators hand, a small marionette puppet settles down to hear the tale of the infamous Jabberwock. Louise Warren’s adaptation relies solely on gibberish laden text to piece together a visually engaging narrative. Scale and perspective are manipulated throughout as the barely palm sized puppet outgrows his house and transforms into a much larger version of himself that appears to be closer to the audience. Growing in confidence with every encounter, our “frumious” hero begins to believe that he truly can slay the mythical Jabberwock with his “vorpal sword”.

The sophisticated and highly skilled display of puppeteering in Jabberwocky is testament to just how far the art form has involved, it’s a far cry from an uninspiring Punch and Judy Show that you would commonly find at the end of any seaside pier. It is clear that in Jabberwocky every movement has been meticulously choreographed to achieve such an astounding range of pedestrianized movement. A fine example of this is the long limbed green Bandersnatch (who towers over the boy),whose movement vocabulary has an almost monkey like quality as he swings from place to place scaling the walls of the Little Angel Theatre. Such fluid and realistic movement is truly impressive.

Mandy Travis, Stan Middleton, Sarah Wright and Nele De Craecker form the effervescent cast of four master puppeteers each with an impressive array of character driven voices. The talented quartet pave the way through this nonsense poem with great aplomb. The only real fault I can find with this production, is that the Jabberwock puppet wasn’t quite as climatic and impressive as I had expected as I think more could have been done to differentiate it from the other bird type creatures within the work. 

That said, this is delightful and majestic production, that will leave you with many reasons to exclaim “Callooh! Callay!” and it is a fantubulous introduction to the realms of possibility in puppetry.  

Jabberwocky is being performed at the Little Angel Theatre until February 2nd for tickets and more information: http://www.littleangeltheatre.com

Sweeney Todd swinging his razor high in a real life pie shop

What could be more apt then a production of Sweeney Todd that takes places in a pie shop? In an ingenious collaboration Tooting Arts Club have teamed up with Harrington’s, one of Britain’s oldest pie and mash shops to stage a thrillingly atmospheric rendition of the Sondheim classic. Lit mainly by candlelight the audience of just 32 are chillingly transported to the backstreets of Dickensian London, it is an intense and intimate experience, as the formidable cast of eight clamber onto the tables, the shop counter and even descend from the built-in stairwell, to consume Mrs Lovett’s human mince pies. When Sweeney’s murderous razor glistens and swings just inches away from your face it adds a whole new meaning to the phrase 'a close shave.' 

Starting in the barber shop across the road, we were then ushered to Harrington’s, where the decor of this institution - that has been proudly serving pies to residents of Tooting for the over a hundred years remains largely unchanged. Evocative of London’s past Tooting Arts Club recounted with great aplomb the sinister tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber with a cut throat lust for revenge.

With Sweeney’s throat slitting antics occurring in such close proximity, as an audience member you can’t help but flinch and wince as he enacts his revenge, you aren’t just passively witnessing the crimes you feel implicated,  almost as if somehow you are partially responsible. I particularly enjoyed the clever way in which blood-shed was implied with a flash of red light or the sound of a train whistle. Which not only intensified the overall experience but if anything made it more frightening.

Jeremy Secomb, is a dark and haunting Sweeney with a forlorn glint in his eye. His straight laced and composed nature was juxtaposed superbly by his rambunctious and outspoken partner in crime Mrs Lovett. The production really hits its' stride during Mrs Lovett's opening number 'Worse Pies in London' . As Lovett, Siobhan McCarthy exudes charisma, this coupled with her exquisite vocals, knowing looks and natural flair for comedy are a real joy to watch.

This version of Sweeney Todd is so much more than a finely executed piece of site-specific theatre. It is gritty, comical and a charming musical thriller, if you are going to sample one of Harrington’s renowned pies, I’d advise you do so before the show, as you may not have quite the same appetite on the way home. 

Sweeney Todd is playing at Harrington’s Pie and Mash shop until November 29th, for tickets and more information please visit http://www.tootingartsclub.co.uk/sweeneytickets