LAST CALL FOR BOB’S CLARA
After 28 years the Joffrey Ballet is ending Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker. All good things, it seems, must come to an end. Next year Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet will be reinterpreted in a spanking new staging by Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon (who last season reimagined Swan Lake as a fantasy within a rehearsal).
And so it’s journey’s end for Joffrey’s very last Clara, dazzled and delighted by her gallant Nutcracker Prince whom she redeems after a battle with the Mice King and his rodent troops, and their delightful visits to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets.
Judging from opening night, the piece may well have outstayed its welcome. Not particularly acclaimed by the audience, this year’s recreation, engineered by artistic director Ashley Wheater, seemed a bit rushed and even desultory. Repeats for dances were eliminated and, churlishly, there was no first act curtain call (no chance to acknowledge the vocalizing of the Anima Singers, for one rebuff). It felt a tad perfunctory–as if the ensemble had been more eager to get it over with than to give its all one last time to Joffrey’s concoction.
But, no question, the gorgeous old sets and costumes of this 19th-century American remount of a Russian classic deliver glorious goods. Anticipating Norman Rockwell, it’s so much Currier and Ives nostalgia delivering domestic warmth and contagious festivity.
Featuring the excellent Chicago Philharmonic and 118 local dancers with the full Joffrey corps de ballet, the stage teemed with Dolls, Soldiers, Snow Tree Angels, Party Girls and Boys, Battle and Mounted Mice, and the sassy Polchinelle children hiding under Mother Ginger’s giant crinoline dress. They’re all transformed by mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer (Michael Smith), a magical godfather for Clara and mischievous Fritz (Hansol Jeong). Of course, he only stands in for author E.T.A. Hoffman, eccentric inspirer of Les Contes d’Hoffman.
Cara Marie Gary makes a sprightly Clara, eager for the next excitement–but the big action comes with the grand pas de deux by Amanda Assucena’s captivating Sugar Plum Fairy and Albert Velasquez’ dashing Nutcracker Prince (though even this seemed to fast forward like much of the evening).
The divertissements at the Christmas Eve soiree and the celebration in Candyland were splendidly presented as always: sultry with Dara Holmes and Temur Sulashvili’s Arabian duet and thrilling with the Cossack quartet from the steppes of Russia. When Clara and her protective godfather finally return to America in their huge balloon, it’s a lot like Professor Marvel’s departure from Oz (this time with the designated passenger).
As farewell perfomances go, this Auditorium Theatre spectacle was respectful enough to the massive memories it redeemed. It’s strange to mourn for a night of classic choreography. But perhaps a year from now Wheeldon’s version will open up new vistas to an old masterpiece. Joffrey’s take on a Christmas fantasy will not be forgotten, let alone replaced, but we will have new marvels to replenish the cash cow. Thanks for the memories.
photos by Cheryl Mann
The Nutcracker
Joffrey Ballet
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
50 E. Congress Parkway
scheduled to end on December 27, 2015
for tickets call 800-982-2787 or visit Ticketmaster
for more info on Chicago Theater, visit Theatre in Chicago
