Design gallery: Three Nutcrackers | reviews, news & interviews
Design gallery: Three Nutcrackers
Design gallery: Three Nutcrackers
Three ways to crack a balletic Nut in Birmingham, Scotland and London
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Is the look to be Beckmann, Bergman or Nicky Haslam? To accompany the interviews with Nutcracker designers elsewhere, here are three very different design portfolios tackling the eternal magic of this favourite ballet with unexpected reference points. Sketches by John F Macfarlane for Birmingham Royal Ballet, Antony McDonald for Scottish Ballet and Gerald Scarfe for English National Ballet are seen with production stills alongside.
Read interviews with the three designers elsewhere on theartsdesk, where they explain their thinking and working methods.
John Macfarlane for Birmingham Royal Ballet
All these big ballets have pivot points in the score, when you should really travel. You can’t shortchange them with the staging
Interview here. Choreography and production Peter Wright with Vincent Redmon, after Ivanov
Photo credits Roy Smiljanic and Bill Cooper; dancers Natasha Oughtred (Sugar Plum Fairy), Dominic Antonucci (Drosselmeyer), company of Birmingham Royal Ballet; designs for Clara's friend, Drosselmeyer, Mirliton, Arabian Dance, Sugar Plum Fairy
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Antony McDonald for Scottish Ballet
Interview here. Choreography and production by Ashley Page
Photo credits Bill Cooper; dancers Jarkko Lehmus (Drosselmeyer), Glauco di Lieto (Nutcracker); Tatiana Loginova (Marie), company of Scottish Ballet; designs for Mouserink, Bad Snowflakes, Flowers (costume drawings by Michelle May)
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Gerald Scarfe for English National Ballet
Interview here. Concept and design by Gerald Scarfe, choreography by Christopher Hampson.
Photo credits English National Ballet; dancers of English National Ballet; designs for Drosselmeyer, Clara, Grandpa, Running Parcels
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- Birmingham Royal Ballet's Nutcracker is at the Birmingham Hippodrome 27 November-13 December. Book online here. Check out Birmingham Royal Ballet's season listings
- Scottish Ballet's Nutcracker is at Glasgow's Theatre Royal 12-31 December; Edinburgh, Festival Theatre, 6-9 January 2010; Inverness, Eden Court 20-23 January; Aberdeen, His Majesty's Theatre 27-30 January; Newcastle, Theatre Royal 3–6 February. Booking details here
- English National Ballet's Nutcracker is at the London Coliseum 16 December-3 January. Book online here
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