The Nutcracker From the Royal Ballet
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Ross Macgibbon
Thomas Whitehead
Anthony Dowell
Pauline Wadsworth
Richard Ramsey
Christopher Saunders
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Sir Peter Wright's version of "The Nutcracker," after the original book by Lev Ivanov, performed by the Royal Ballet from the restored Covent Garden Opera. Herr Drosselmeyer, a mysterious magician and creator of mechanical toys and clocks, was once employed at the royal palace, where he invented a trap that killed off half the mouse population. In revenge, the wicked Mouse Queen cast a spell on Drosselmeyer's nephew, Hans-Peter, which transformed him into an ugly nutcracker doll. The only way to break the spell is for the Nutcracker to slay the Mouse King and for a young girl to love and care for him in spite of his awful appearance. When Drosselmeyer is invited to entertain the guests at a Christmas party given by his friends, the Stahlbaums, he decides that his could well be the opportunity he has been looking for. The Stahlbaums have a daughter, Clara, and what better time than Christmas, when the mice are busy stealing the leftovers, for a confrontation with the Mouse King and the Nutcracker? Drosselmeyer decides to put the Nutcracker in the tender care of Clara and makes a special Christmas angel to guide her through her task. When all the guests have departed, Clara, in search of the nutcracker, creeps downstairs and discovers Drosselmeyer waiting for her. He draws her into his own special world of fantasy and exerts his powers to transform the living room into a great battlefield. Then he summons the Mouse King. In the ensuing fight between mice and the toy soldiers, the Nutcracker slays the Mouse King, but only through the intervention of Clara, who, out of compassion, saves the Nutcracker's life. Restored to his real self, Hans-Peter dances with Clara, and they find themselves in the Land of Snow. Drosselmeyer then sends them on a magic journey to the Sugar Garden in the Kingdom of the Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. Freed at last from his imprisonment inside the nutcracker, Hans-Peter recounts to the Sugar Plum Fairy his great adventure and how Clara saved his life. They then join in a magnificent entertainment put on by Drosselmeyer to honor them for their bravery. Returning to reality, Clara runs out in the street in search of Drosselmeyer and encounters a strangely familiar young man, while back in his workshop Drosselmeyer prays that his efforts will be rewarded. His nephew returns; the spell has been broken.
Cast
Thomas Whitehead
Anthony Dowell
Pauline Wadsworth
Richard Ramsey
Christopher Saunders
Alina Cojocaru
Maurice Vodegel-matzen
Brian Maloney
Nigel Burley
Miyako Yoshida
Tom Sapsford
Ricardo Cervera
Zenaida Yanowsky
Diane Holland
Giacomo Ciraci
Hubert Essakow
Romayne Grigorova
Marianela Nunez
Martin Harvey
Jane Burn
Leana Palmer
Elizabeth Mcgorian
Alastair Marriott
Justin Meissner
Victor Alvarez
Nicola Tranah
Genesia Rosato
Jonathan Cope
Yohei Sasaki
Luke Heydon
Antoine Jully
Chloe Davies
David Drew
Sian Murphy
Laura Morera
Julie Lack
Oliver Till
Giacomo Ciriaci
Edward Watson
Mara Galeazzi
William Tuckett
Ivan Putrov
Bennet Gartside
Joshua Tuifua
Rachel Rawlins
Vanessa Palmer
