BWW Reviews: THE NUTCRACKER Enchants Columbus with Holiday Magic

Featuring intricate sets, beautiful dancing and plenty of Christmas magic, BalletMet's "The Nutcracker" is making its annual return to the Ohio Theatre this holiday season.

With imaginative staging, eye-catching costumes and enticing dancing from a company consisting of both professional dancers and BalletMet Dance Academy students, "The Nutcracker" promises a fantastical journey that is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

BalletMet has performed its own unique rendition of this traditional holiday ballet both in Columbus and on tour for 37 seasons, with each performance enthralling audiences young and old.

Co-created by Robert Post and Gerard Charles--and also choreographed by Charles--BalletMet's interpretation of this classic story is brimming with details--indeed, I found it impossible to look away for even an instant, for fear that if I did, I would miss a moment of impeccable dancing by the company or the addition of another elaborate backdrop or prop.

Based on German author E.T.A. Hoffmann's book, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, "The Nutcracker" is considered a holiday staple for ballet companies around the world.

The story follows the adventures--some real and some imagined--of Clara, a young girl who receives a nutcracker for Christmas from her toymaker godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, at a family holiday gathering.

Clara's initial excitement when receiving the gift is short-lived when her pesky brother, Fritz, breaks the nutcracker during a fight with his sister.

After all the guests have gone home for the night, Clara, worried that the broken nutcracker has been abandoned downstairs, sneaks down to the family's grand living room, and embarks on a magical journey with the nutcracker prince by her side.

The more surreal aspects of this production are seamlessly presented through the use of innovative technical effects. Glowing ornaments float across the stage as if pulled by Herr Drosselmeyer's magic, the glowing evergreen tree rises to almost twice its height as Clara shrinks down to toy-size, and the gilded walls of Clara's childhood home fade away to form the ice-covered branches of a snowy forest.

All the while, BalletMet's company dazzles with mesmerizing choreography that beautifully conveys the adventurous spirit of Clara as she explores her imagined dream world of sweets. From the colorful "Waltz of the Flowers" to the delicate "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy," the dances performed in the second act allude to the exploration of distant lands.

Each handcrafted costume gleams under the stage lights as the dancers twirl about the stage, underscored by the brassy notes of horns and twittering trills of flutes--provided by the Columbus Symphony, playing under the direction of Douglas Droste.

Having seen performances of this show before, I knew that at some point, the fun was destined to end. Even so, I found my spirits sinking as the stage lights dimmed and the golden halls of the nutcracker prince's palace reverted back into the darkened Victorian living room of Clara's home.

Like Clara, after seeing the beauty of BalletMet's "The Nutcracker," I did not want to wake up and return to reality.

"The Nutcracker" is set to run at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) through Dec. 27.

Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St. or 614.469.0939), all Ticketmaster outlets (800.988.2787), or through the BalletMet Box Office (614.229.4848).

Discount coupons are available at all Central Ohio Kroger stores, and group discounts are available through the BalletMet Box Office.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Zmuda

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