By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Before the curtain rises on the opening performance of the Toledo Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” Condessa Croninger stepped on stage to greet a late morning audience of about 2,000 students from area schools.
They are as restless and excited as one would expect of kids who have been packed into buses for an out of school excursion.
They quiet to listen as Croninger, dressed as a maid, gives them an introduction what they are about to witness. That includes encouragement to applaud the performers. “Bravo” for a male dancer, “brava” for a female dancer, and “bravi” when it’s a group of mixed dancers.
The students certainly didn’t need much encouragement in the applause department. As soon as the curtain rose to show the facade of the Manor House they let out a chorus of ah’s, then repeated it even louder when the lavish decorations inside were revealed. Throughout they cheered, opting for the more familiar exclamations than the Italian.
Is there a better setting to view classic Tchaikovsky ballet than with a packed house of youngsters, so close in age as most of the dancers on stage?
The school performance was held Friday. The ballet, directed by Lisa Mayer-Lang and choreographed by Gen Horiuchi with additional choreography by Lisa Mayer-Lang and Marie Vogt, will be staged at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo tonight at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
This is the 79th staging of “The Nutcracker” in Toledo, the longest continuous production in the country. Toledo has made the ballet its own.
The curtain rises on the Stahlbaums’ lavish preparations for their Christmas party. Children are everywhere. And early on a certain dischord between our heroine Clara (Sydney Mack on Friday and Saturday evening; Kiera Lang on the Saturday and Sunday matinees) and her brother Fritz (Breckin Miller) plays out as his troop of soldiers advances on her gaggle of girls. The exuberance makes the viewer feel like a guest at this party.
When Herr Drosselmeyer (Eric Hillenbrand) swoops in, bat-like, the tone darkens. He’s a mysterious character, yet a welcome presence, especially when he distributes gifts.
For Clara he has a nutcracker, a beloved gift that Fritz covets. It ends up being broken — with part of it skittering into the orchestra pit.
Drosselmeyer patches it up.
When the party ends, Clara falls asleep. Then the magic starts, not that there hasn’t been plenty of holiday enchantments to this point.
Clara dreams or wakens to an invasion of mice, very cute mice, led by the fearsome Mouse King (Charles Miller). Leading a corps of toy soldiers, the Nutcracker (Sam Gandy) comes to the rescue except Clara realizes he’s no match from the Mouse King, so she intervenes. Her distraction leads to the Mouse King’s defeat, and the transformation of the Nutcracker Prince into a real prince.
He leads her to his kingdom through a snowy landscape where the King and Queen of the Snow greet them. (On Friday these roles were danced by students Nora Light and Jarrett Yeary and on Saturday and Sunday by the guest dancers Melissa Gelfin and Cervillo Miguel Amador.)
The second Act is devoted to dances evoking delicacies served up to entertain Clara. She serves as the audience’s charming proxy registering delight as these various wonders unfold.
Each dance exudes personality, and the clear pride of the young dancers in performing.
For the local audience the appearances of guests Gelfin and Amador, both principal dancers with the Cincinnati Ballet, are a gift. Their Pax de Deux is full of grace and conviction. With their elegance of movement, they show the artistry to which the younger members aspire. “The Nutcracker” is a celebration of dance as much as a celebration of the season, and this is the exclamation mark.
The ballet spins on the pedestal of Tchaikovsky’s colorful score. Having the Toledo Symphony, conducted by Alain Trudel, in the pit brings the familiar strains to life, refreshing the composer’s rich palette. Is there anything more gorgeous than the pairing of movements of the pas de deux and the rich sound of cellos with the delicate plucking of the harp? The score is filled with such sonic confections, whether it’s the clarion call of a trumpet, playfulness of the woodwinds, the bell-like celesta, or the quiet jangle of a triangle.
All this speaks to why “The Nutcracker” is such a beloved tradition. If the response of the students on Friday was any indication, there’s a new generation devotees waiting in the wings.
