With Christmas around the corner, it\u2019s officially time for the resurgence of a holiday staple \u2014 the San Francisco Ballet\u2019s annual \u201cNutcracker\u201d production. Running at the War Memorial Opera House from Dec. 5-28, the San Francisco Ballet\u2019s seasonal resurrection of this holiday classic is bursting with family-friendly magic, gorgeous set design and impressive dancing.<\/p>\n
The San Francisco Ballet was the first company in the United States to present this holiday classic to an American audience with a full-length production of \u201cNutcracker\u201d back in 1944 with William Christensen\u2019s choreography. In 2004, Helgi T\u00f3masson, the artistic director at the time, reimagined\u201cNutcracker,\u201d choreographing and staging the version that graces the elegant War Memorial Opera House stage today. His choreography is powerful and varied while retaining the elegance expected from a classic ballet. This year\u2019s cast, under current artistic director Tamara Rojo, nails both the technicality and musicality of his vision.<\/p>\n
T\u00f3masson\u2019s version draws on the rich history of San Francisco and its connection to The Nutcracker, modeling the set design after architecture in 1915 San Francisco. What is more striking is not just the iconic Victorian style of Clara\u2019s home, but the care with which each scene is dressed and staged. Even smaller moments such as Uncle Drosselmeyer walking up to the front door feature a host of background characters with their own observable storylines, all dressed in detailed historical attire. It warms the stage with a sense of realism and allows the audience to become fully immersed in this new world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In bigger story moments, the set design remains thorough and impressive. The scene of Uncle Drosselmeyer\u2019s magic growing the Christmas tree around Clara is absolutely enchanting, with the set transitioning seamlessly and aesthetically without visible stagehands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Clara and her Nutcracker Prince are welcomed into the Land of Snow by the King and Queen of Snow and the corps de ballet, snow \u2014 paper snow \u2014 falls as dancers\u2019 pointe shoes leave swirling patterns on stage. A cannon with a smoke effect rings loud during the fight scene with the King of the Mice and the Russian dancers thunderously burst out of paper backgrounds in the second act. The audience reactions are audible at each pivotal point where set and prop design took center stage. This production is a feast for eyes of all ages.<\/p>\n
Tchaikovsky\u2019s score is almost startlingly iconic \u2014 you\u2019ll be surprised how much of the \u201cNutcracker\u201dscore you recognize \u2014 and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra brings it to life without missing a beat. The show\u2019s costuming is vibrant and cohesive, carefully considered down to matching pointe shoes to the color of dancer\u2019s tights \u2014 even if those tights are sky blue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The dancers\u2019 own performances were an absolute treat, with Wona Park and Sasha De Sola shining as the Sugar Plum Fairy and adult Clara, performing each role on alternating nights. They are both a privilege to watch on stage. Poised through even the most advanced sections of cha\u00een\u00e9s, or traveling turns, they maintain stunningly beautiful lines with a smile. Their princes, Wei Wang and Harrison James, were skillful partners able to match the actresses\u2019 prowess. The soloists that dance in the cross-cultural festival for Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, including standout Jacey Gailliard as the Arabian dancer and Joshua Jack Price as the main Russian dancer, are equally captivating.<\/p>\n
San Francisco\u2019s\u00a0\u201cNutcracker\u201d is a production that relies on the strength of its entire ensemble, and this production utilizes both the San Francisco Ballet Company dancers and students of the San Francisco Ballet School to immense benefit. Cast members of all ages do a wonderful job embodying frequent moments of physical comedy, and Clara played by both a child and an adult highlight common themes of the \u201cNutcracker,\u201d such as growing up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s your family\u2019s holiday tradition or your first time witnessing this Christmas classic, the San Francisco Ballet\u2019s production of \u201cNutcracker\u201d makes good on its storied history, entertains and enchants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Christmas around the corner, it\u2019s officially time for the resurgence of a holiday staple \u2014 the San…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[30734,9479,49713,101,26971,103,102,104,30731,106,105,40725,30730,19034,49712],"class_list":["post-89278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-ballet","tag-christmas","tag-helgi-tomasson","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-ballet","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-ballet","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-tamara-rojo","tag-the-nutcracker","tag-war-memorial-opera-house","tag-william-christensen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}