Bourne's 'Nutcracker!' To Make US DEBUT in California

Perhaps it's the weather, or that we're so close to Disney, where Matthew Bourne is adapting The Little Mermaid for the Broadway stage, but once again California is going to be home to the US Premiere of the latest Matthew Bourne production!

Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!, which has wowed audiences in the UK at Sadlers Wells, as well as Japan, is now set to crack the US market, first in Berkeley, California, before heading down south to Orange County and Los Angeles in time for the Christmas Holiday.

I know what you're thinking, "Who needs another Nutcracker?" I, myself, have seen several versions, from the traditional classic ballet to a jazzed up version with an amazing African-American cast.

But if you are remotely familiar with the work of Matthew Bourne, you know that he doesn't just stage something, he creates a new world and context for the show, re-imagining it in a way that defies expectations, leaving you both spellbound and a lover of dance!

Matthew Bourne is perhaps best known for his "all-male" Swan Lake. That is somewhat misleading, as there were women in the cast, but it became known as all-male, since all the swans, traditionally dainty ballerinas, were played by men (with the lead swan – played both tender and menacingly by Adam Cooper). This production swept audiences to its feet around the globe, all cheering not only the wonderful performances, but also the incredibly gifted creative genius of Matthew Bourne.

He next set his sights on another well-known ballet, Cinderella, this time transporting it from a fairy tale world to that of World War II England. The production, not to mention the performances, was so mesmerizing, there are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe one's emotions as the final curtain came down.

Most recently, he adapted the opera Carmen, as a ballet, but with great Bourne-vision, re-imagined it with a male lead, and re-titled it The Car Man. Women (and some men) will never look at their auto mechanic the same!

And now California is once again host to the US Premiere of Bourne's Nutcracker!, which is sure to change all notions and opinions of the holiday classic. The Times (London) said, "His Nutcracker! is the most enjoyable and clever staging imaginable."

Like his earlier works, Bourne takes the Nutcracker and adds his own unique stamp on it, complete with 20^th century style, pathos, and humor. In Bourne's world, the protagonist Clara takes a fantastical journey from the Dickensian Dr. Dross's orphanage, to an ice-skating wonderland, and into a confectionary land of sweets! Like a recipe of classics, Bourne sprinkles his production with one part Oliver Twist, one part Ice Capades, and one part Busby Berkeley musicals, to create a show Time Out called "Full of invention, outrageous designs and more clever ideas than any ten versions put together."

But why did Bourne choose The Nutcracker? In an interview he did in England, Bourne said The Nutcracker has, "become a Christmas tradition, particularly for mothers and their young dancing school daughters; it's often the first ballet that many people see. It can though, be a difficult story to follow and a bore for the men of the family. I've tried to tell a story for all the family. Adults, kids, girls and boys should all find something to thrill them and touch them in Clara's adventure."

While Bourne first created the piece in 1994, he says this production is very much new. With new designs by acclaimed set designer Anthony Ward, lighting by Howard Harrison, and substantially re-choreographed by Bourne. "Ten years on I find Tchaikovsky's music more and more profound, its magic turns is all into kids again."

So if you want to be a kid again, run to the following theatres, to experience the thrill, merriment and wonder of Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!

US PREMIERE PERFORMANCES:

Berkeley, California

Zellerbach Auditorium

Monday, 22 November – Sunday 5 December 2004

Orange County (Costa Mesa), California

Orange County Performance Arts Center

Tuesday, 7 December – Sunday 12 December 2004

Los Angeles, CA

Royce Hall (on the campus of UCLA)

Wednesday, 15 December 2004 – Sunday, 2 January 2005