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Set in the hot summer of a southern Christmas, the delightful Mzansi Productions version of The Nutcracker offers a "scattering of visual South Africanisms".
New ideas include a dance resembling a bushman painting coming to life
WHEN The Nutcracker debuted 116 years ago in St Petersburg, Russia, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who wrote the musical score for the ballet, could not have foreseen that his creation - about which he and the critics were both less than charmed - would lead to so many interpretations.
Over the years this timeless festive season ballet has had a George Balanchine version; a Mikhail Baryshnikov version; Mark Morris, the Hard Nut, taking the ballet to shocking new extremes; and even a Disney version in the form of a movie, Fantasia.
And now, a local production of The Nutcracker rings in the festive season with a distinct South African flavour. It debuted at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City on 20 November and will run until 30 November.
The latest successful rendition is produced by Mzansi Productions and is a must-see for ballet, dance and theatre lovers alike. Besides displaying South Africa's depth of talent in the ballet and choreography arena, this version throws in a couple of good laughs, too.
Sun, sand and blue sky
As Dirk Badenhorst, the director of Mzansi Productions, put it before the beginning of the show: "I am tired of pretending that we are in the middle of the winter." Therefore, when he approached Esther Nasser, the artistic director, about a South African version, they thought about sand, sun and open skies.
The result is a delightful scattering of visual South Africanisms in both the décor and dance, keeping the audience entertained up to the final curtain.
The production is distinctly different from earlier versions - it is quirky, witty and full of surprises. Forget about snow: this is about boabab trees, Kalahari dunes and Namaqualand daisies. Other traditional fixtures are also not left untouched - the Nutcracker "soldier doll", Clara's present from Drosselmeyer, is replaced by a Dyembe drum.
"While this production [has] a distinct South African feel, the essence and overall staging of the ballet [still has] the familiar feel and the festive cheer that audiences associate with The Nutcracker, but with the ballet being brought closer to ‘home' in terms of its setting," Mzansi Productions said.
The decorative panels, designed by Andrew Botha, add the illusion and magic associated with The Nutcracker, but also move away from the traditional. Peal your eyes away from the dancers for a minute to study the panels - Botha may well have started a new festive season trend with his boabab Christmas tree decorated with proteas and strelitzias.
New interpretation
The choreography team of David Gouldie and Adèle Blank brings an off-the-wall interpretation combined with steady direction. Some of the new ideas include a dance resembling a bushman painting coming to life and a gumboot dance in act two.
In the opening scene, look out for Tanya Fϋtter in the role of Clara's mother, who manages to give this character an extra dimension, almost stealing the show from one of the leads, the petite Reika Sato, as Clara. The butler and maid are equally entertaining and up to a lot of mischief.
South Africa's own Kitty Phetla plays the other lead role, that of Drosselmeyer, to great effect. She is tall and big for a ballerina but she takes on this role with command and great presence.
Tchaikovsky, who lamented in 1891, "Now it is finished; The Nutcracker is all ugliness", may well have felt differently about this truly proudly South African version.
Mzansi has managed to make The Nutcracker its own.
The cast
Drosselmeyer is not gender specific for this production and is danced by Kitty Phetla and Casey Swales. Clara is danced by Carmen Harris, Nicole McCreedy and Reika Sato; while Fritz, her brother, is danced by Craig Arnolds and Thandumzi Moyakhe.
Reika Sato and Marc Goldberg in the Sun and Moon pas de deux
The pas de deux is danced by Carmen Harris, Nicole McCreedy and Reika Sato with the male lead shared by Craig Arnolds, Marc Goldberg and Michael Revie.
Mzansi Productions is a professional dance company affiliated with the Ballet and Dance Academy. The Nutcracker is Mzansi's first full-length work. The production company opened its inaugural season in August this year at the Civic Theatre in Braamfontein.
The Nutcracker runs for a week-and-a-half, from 20 November until 30 November. Weekday performances are at 8pm; weekend matinees are scheduled for 3pm.
Show tickets range in price from R69 to R199 per person and school and university bookings can be arranged in the morning or afternoon.
Booking is at Computicket outlets, on 011 340 8000, or through the Computicket website. There are discounts of 10 percent on block-bookings for groups of 10 or more people.
For further information, telephone Leon Bezuidenhout on 012 665 0293, or 082 459 6748; or fax on 086 557 9218 or email him at
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