Milwaukee Ballet unveiled their new Nutcracker last year, a $5 million endeavor which dazzled audiences with opulent original sets and costumes, plus refreshed choreography. It’s not the first year, but the second, that really matters in such an investment. With the paint now dry and the kinks fully worked out, it’s clear Milwaukee’s reimagined holiday classic has staying power.
I did some quick math. Of the two dozen or so Nutcracker productions I’ve seen, this one, running through Christmas Eve at the Marcus Center, is my favorite.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Aspects of Michael Pink’s beloved version, which ran for decades until last year, remain, including several particularly smart plot points Pink couldn’t bear to part with. Unlike most Nutcrackers, this one centers on a family of five. Three siblings embark on an epic journey to a magical land of international delights. Is it real, or is it a dream? Hard to say.
Rambunctious Clara (danced Saturday afternoon by the delightful Raven Loan) and Fritz (the equally charming Emery Meroni) make mischievous merriment at their family’s holiday party (much to the chagrin of their annoyed parents, played by Lizzie Tripp-Molina and Josiah Cook). Meanwhile, older sister Marie (Lahna Vanderbush) is the object of party guest Karl’s affection (Marko Micov).
Karl is an apprentice to the toymaker Drosselmeyer (Garrett Glassman), who in this production resembles Willy Wonka, down to the purple suit and not-so-straightforward temperament. Glassman’s approach to the role is generally jovial; he performs magic tricks for the party kids (portrayed by young dancers from the Milwaukee Ballet School), gifts Clara a special nutcracker doll and encourages the match between Karl and Marie. Drosselmeyer guides the siblings through a wild Alice in Wonderland-type adventure, first ducking under the Christmas Tree for an epic battle between life-sized mice and toy soldiers, then through a snowy paradise on their way to Fun Town, where, like Wonkaville, the sugar high never ends as Clara and Fritz are entertained by a parade of amusements: trumpeting toreadors, a seductive sultana, clownish jacks, a bouquet of elegant poinsettias and a troupe of tiny pastry chefs directed by a bicycling drag queen named Madame Bon Bon (Eric Figueredo) at the helm of a machine cranking out confections.
The student cast sprinkled throughout this Nutcracker aren’t given frivolous roles aimed only at getting their parents to buy tickets. On the contrary, these are talented young dancers, crisply rehearsed, who add much to the evening. The tiniest cast members rely on cuteness, opening act two as a flock of adorable little swans floating on Lemonade Lake on the outer edge of Fun Town.
As for the grown-ups, Loan and Meroni are perfectly cast as Clara and Fritz, as is Vanderbush, who deftly navigates Marie’s coming-of-age. She dips in and out of adulthood, as any teen might when the magic around her becomes too insatiable to avoid. She and Micov also tackle the Sugar Plum pas de deux, for which Pink uncharacteristically borrows from The Nutcracker’s original choreographer. Pink supplements Marius Petipa’s 1892 duet with gorgeous filigree, complemented by the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra playing Tchaikovsky’s iconic score. For the opening matinee, it took a bit for the musicians to fully gel, running cold and hot throughout the first act. When it mattered most, they were hot.
Equally impressive, Marie Harrison-Collins is once again cast as Snow Queen, thanks to her reliably crisp, clean lines and staccato movement quality. What a surprise to also see her also command the Arabian pas de deux, a slithering exhibition favoring gratuitous hyperflexibility and silky-smooth legato with partner Alexander Koulos. The latter gets moments to shine, too, especially in the couple’s final lift: a single-handed overhead press with Harrison-Collins seated in Koulos’ palm as he ventures offstage.
It’s hard to take your eyes off them, or any of the soloists performing the act two divertissements. They’re all great, but not the reason I love this Nutcracker so much. It’s equal parts smart and magical, with so many details baked in, you’ll be noticing things you never saw before year after year. And given the price tag, we’re going to be watching this ballet for a while. I’m good with that.
Performances of Milwaukee Ballet’s The Nutcracker continue through Dec. 24 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, 929 N. Water St. Tickets are $48-$161 at milwaukeeballet.org and 414-902-2103.
