The Nutcracker

We are guided through a winter journey featuring Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s most enduring score. The production uses choreography by Peter Wright, building upon the foundations set by Lev Ivanov and Vincent Redmon. You will hear the Royal Ballet Sinfonia perform a sequence of familiar melodies that shift from the domestic warmth of a family gathering into a vast, frosty landscape. Pay close attention to the visual transformation during the battle sequence, where the scale of the stage changes to suggest a child’s-eye view of the world. The evening moves from rhythmic toy marches into the fluid, expansive movements of the second act, where the music becomes increasingly decorative and melodic. This version emphasises the clarity of the narrative through a series of divertissements that showcase different styles of dance, ensuring the evening feels both festive and musically cohesive as it reaches its conclusion.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is the resident company of the Birmingham Hippodrome, known for maintaining a large-scale classical repertoire while touring across the United Kingdom. In this performance, Rosanna Ely appears as Clara, providing the central perspective through which the story unfolds. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the company’s dedicated orchestra, provides the live musical foundation. The ensemble is regarded for its ability to synchronise Tchaikovsky’s intricate rhythmic patterns with the precise physical requirements of the dancers, a skill honed through their extensive history of performing major nineteenth-century works.

This performance takes place at the Birmingham Hippodrome, a venue well-suited for large-scale ballet productions. The total running time is approximately 130 minutes, which includes intervals. This duration and the familiar nature of the story make it a practical choice if you are attending your first ballet or bringing younger guests. There is no specific dress convention for this venue, though many patrons choose smart-casual attire. You should arrive in time to be seated before the overture begins, as the transformation scenes occur early in the first act.