San Francisco Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” (2008)

Rating: *****

Now a mainstay of the holiday season, the very first complete American performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker was in 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet with choreography by then artistic director William Christensen. The company was the first in the U.S. to make the ballet an annual holiday tradition, and was for ten years the only company in the United States performing the complete ballet. The stage success of the Christensen version marked the initial step in making productions of The Nutcracker an annual tradition all over the world – a phenomenon that did not really come into its own until the late 1960s. How appropriate that this imaginative reworking of the ballet is performed by the same company that premiered it.

Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson has lifted the ballet out of 19th century Germany and set the first act amongst the fairytale Victorian houses of early 20th century San Francisco. An additional change has Mr. Tomasson placing the second act dream sequence in surroundings suggested by the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. That nearly forgotten world’s fair was held in San Francisco while Europe self-destructed during the First World War. It was meant to celebrate the city’s rebirth following the 1906 earthquake and fire that nearly destroyed it. From hand-tinted photographs and rare surviving film clips we learn that the Panama Pacific Exposition created a magical world of light and energy amidst 625 acres of exotic architecture chosen from around the globe. Use of the fair as the ballet’s background is an inspired choice. Those dream-images from the distant past make an ideal accompaniment to Tchaikovsky’s beautiful fairy tale opera.

Helgi Tomasson is careful to create choreography that is rooted in the great tradition of classical Russian ballet. Movements are stately, flowing, elegant and majestic.  Although the outer wrapper of this Nutcracker is now from the new world, its heart is steeped in the traditions of the old. That dichotomy gives the ballet a freshness that is part of its great charm. Costume Designer Martin Pakledinaz has the dancers wearing the nearly timeless long-lined, trim-waisted dresses and understated elegant suits of the era.  Pakledinaz drew inspiration from reviewing hundreds of old photographs of American circus costumes for the dream sequence and Sears catalogs from the early twentieth century for the party scenes. For the great battle portion of the ballet he uses old West Point and Civil War uniforms. The set designs incorporate the fairytale lines of those magical Victorian-era San Francisco houses. The ballet brings the era to life and transforms The Nutcracker into a vibrant piece of Americana. It is vastly entertaining as well as an artistic success that will bring joy to all lovers of Tchaikovsky’s holiday masterpiece.

The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra plays this elfin score with finesse and taste. All of the principal dancers are excellent, both in their solo performances and in their splendid interactions with the talented corps de ballet. The Nutcracker was originally recorded in High Definition and looks beautiful, with richly saturated colors and images of stunning clarity and warmth, even when viewed in standard DVD format. Sound is full and well-defined in PCM stereo. DTS digital surround sound adds ambiance and space while creating a slightly more diffuse soundfield.

— Mike Birman