8 December 2016 at 10.15pm | 98 Comments
@TheRoyalBallet absolutely fantastic show tonight of #ROHnutcracker - beautiful and completely magical- Christmas has begun!
— Daniel Bowles (@danpbowles) December 8, 2016
In a world that's often ugly and brutal #ROHnutcracker offers a charming and beautiful escape. Bravo from Caerphilly South Wales
— Catherine (@purplecastlecat) December 8, 2016
Amazing night at #ROHnutcracker with my ballet squad, cinema relays make ballet so accessible for students! Thank you @TheRoyalBallet
— jodie (@jodiebowey) December 8, 2016
The best Nutcracker I have ever seen #ROHnutcracker thank you from Milan @RoyalOperaHouse @TheRoyalBallet
— MariaGiovanna Luini (@MGiovannaLuini) December 8, 2016
Wow doesn't even cover it! Awesome @TheRoyalBallet #ROHnutcracker
— Rachel Ashurst (@WireRach) December 8, 2016
#ROHnutcracker such an amazing second half loved every minute especially Clara and Hans, such amazing chemistry @TheRoyalBallet
— bee (@beesprinkly) December 8, 2016
@RoyalOperaHouse a stunningly magical #ROHnutcracker Thank you!
— Emma Cleobury (@ESDisley) December 8, 2016
@TheRoyalBallet Thanks for allowing us to briefly escape into a magical world. What a beautiful production #ROHnutcracker
— Rebecca East (@Beckfolley) December 8, 2016
And Hayward - first time seeing her in lead role; what a lovely dancer. She has the most brilliant - and varied - smiles! #ROHnutcracker
— In Morpork (@ladystormhold) December 8, 2016
my heart may just have exploded at #rohnutcracker
— jess (@futuramom) December 8, 2016
Lauren Cuthbertson was sugar plum perfection ✨✨✨@LondonBallerina @RoyalOperaHouse #ROHnutcracker
— Siân P (@SianParryLewis) December 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/abril_gp/status/806980823291490305
What did you think of The Nutcracker live in cinemas?
Let us know via the comments below.
If you experienced technical issues during this live cinema relay, please email details to cinema@roh.org.uk
The Nutcracker runs until 12 January 2017. Tickets are still available.
The next Royal Opera House live cinema relay of 2016/17 will be The Royal Opera's Il trovatore on 31 January 2017. Find your nearest cinema and sign up to our mailing list.
The production is supported by Van Cleef & Arpels and is staged with generous philanthropic support from The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.
8 December 2016 at 10.15pm
This article has been categorised Ballet and tagged Ballet, by Peter Wright, cinema, Cinema relay, Francesca Hayward, Gary Avis, Production, Social Media, The Nutcracker
This article has 98 comments
Absolutely brilliant.
I am approaching 75 years and have seen the Royal Ballet Nutcracker several times.
This is my first viewing at the cinema ( llandudno). It was quite magical. To get close to the action was awesome.
Yet again it brought happy tears to my old eyes
Thankyou from the bottom of my heart
I really really loved this show. First time for me to watch ballet at the cinema and it's been such a great experience. Plus the Royal Ballet is an awesome company. Well done everyone and thank you so much for offering this opportunity '
Watching from The Light, Wisbech this year, just beautiful as usual. Wonderful. Thank you.
More please ROH ballet, such a pleasure, everyone full of smiles and joy! You did the company and yourselves proud! Very well done!
Well done ROH you did yourselves and company proud! Such a pleasure to watch, consummate professionalism, Rock on The Nutcracker.
Congratulations from Barcelona, I'm in shock after watching such lovely Nutcracker live! I enjoyed every minute, specially the second half... the Indian number was astonishing! Pity a little girl fell down, I hope she wasn't hurt. Really superb Christmas treat....
Loved every minute as usual- some lovely 'nit-picked' choreography , Francesca Hayward and Lauren Cuthbertson were incredible and I, of course, cried at the snowflakes. So beautiful!!! It's now Christmas xx #ROHnutcracker
Wonderful, just wonderful. Frankie is amazing, what treats we have in store and Lauren & Frederico just smashed the Grand PDD as SPF and Prince.
Fabulous performance, Proud of our beautiful Royal Ballet.
Loved Nutcracker tonight. Clara and Hans enchanting - and the Sugar Plum Fairy total perfection. I could watch Lauren Cuthbertson forever. So moving when Peter Wright came on at the end - he is incredible for 90!
Enchanting! So glad I went to see this wonderful production at my local cinema in Coleford, The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
Such a wonderful performance. Took my nine year old who loved it and pirouetted all the way home and into bed. Wonderful Clara and Hans. Well done to ROH on another marvellous production viewed from Cumbria.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without seeing Gary Avis as Drosselmeyer. Fabulous performances by Gary and everyone else, especially Francesca and Alex. Lovely to see Sir Peter at the end. Will it (or any Nutcracker performance) be broadcast over Christmas to complement the Nutcracker documentary and interview with Sir Peter?
Pure magic! And what a consummate magician we had in Gary Avis!! The best. So thank you Royal Ballet. Thank you, too, Lauren Cuthbertson and Frederico Bonelli. And thank you Sir Peter Wright. Magic! Magic! Magic!!!
Totally fantastic, great evening and so glad to see the show with further insights at the cinema. Great to see Peter Wright on stage and thanked as everyone else, What a tribute to his 90th birthday.
Fantastic performance tonight, i loved every minute of it. Thank you.
What a fabulous production on cine screen tonight in Bolton, LIVE from ROH Covent Garden. Sooo utterly brilliant, Royal Ballet at its very best.
A magical and truly enjoyable evening, wonderful dancing and so emotional, especially when Sir Peter Wright joined the dancers at the end. Well done everyone from Enniskillen North West Ireland
Utterly entrancing - thrilled to be watching here in Cadiz, Andalucia.
Absolutely beautiful! Stunning costumes and scenery - wow! The Nutcracker makes you feel festive! thankyou ROH xxx
perfect relay and a magical Nutcracker as only the ROH can produce ! watched in Switzerland (emmenbrueck) and for once the cinema was almost full !
Having seen many, Hayward is sensational. Saw her tonight on nutcracker. Weightless, she flies over the stage without touching the ground. Continous movements no stop, smile in her face. Its a new era, no self-expression just bringing the music to life. Its a wonderful time in front of us, a gift of god.
Absolutely wonderful - we were taken on a thrilling journey. Especially glorious to see so much in close-up of wigs, costumes and makeup etc. Lots of little details of staging, which we wouldn't have seen even sitting close in the Stalls, were brilliantly focused on by the cameras. Well done everyone. :)
This was my daughter's first time to see #ROHnutcracker or #RoyalBallet. There were several out loud "Wow!" moments and I especially loved Yuhui Choe as the Rose Fairy. Thank you ALL for your hard work and dedication.
Good evening! Thank you very much for this remarkable production of the Nutcracker. I have seen The Nutcracker three times in Moscow in well-known theatres but I liked this production most of all. I am very very impressed. All dancers were excellent especially Francesca.
An absolutely stunning performance! Loved Francesca Hayward as Clara, she's a beautiful dancer and Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli as The Sugar Plum Fairy and The Prince. Thank you to The Royal Ballet for another amazing production. It was magical!
What a thoroughly enjoyable treat this production was once again. Francesca Hayward was particularly good. It was wonderful to hear the interview with Peter Wright and see him receiving applause on stage at the end of the performance.
A superbe Xmas gift. Thank you!
The most beautiful and magical Nutcracker ever. Exquisite dancing and a magical entrancing breath of much needed escapism from world issues. Mesmerised.
I loved watching The Nutcracker on December 8th at the cinema, it was incredible! Although everyone in it was amazing, I especially hope to see Francesca Hayward dance again, she was my favourite.
Thank you to everyone that made it possible for us to see The Nutcracker at our cinema!
Sofia (Novi Sad, Serbia, Europe)
Fabulous performance of the Nutcracker .Absolutely wonderful. A magical interlude -such a lovely start to Christmas. Watched it in Dungarvan , County Waterford, Ireland.
Absolutely enthralled at last night's showing of the Nutcracker - wish you could have heard us applauding in the cinema!
Breathtakingly beautiful from start to finish. Loved every minute of the performance and enjoyed seeing everything so close up (specially the amazing costumes) thanks to watching it in a cinema. Would rather see it in ROH for the atmosphere alone though! Huge congratulations and thanks to all involved. Wonderful way to start Christmas!
Dear Royal Ballet,
What happened last night?
I've seen the Royal Ballet dance so many times and you always give great performances. But yesterday...
You ALL were ON FIRE!
You kept my heart pounding throughout the entire ballet. I don't know what it was, but it was a truly special performance, you could feel, see and hear that - the audience could barely wait to cheer and applaud and even in the cinema people bursted out in applause. It was like you all gave 1000%.
Thank you for this magical experience!
Happy Christmas
Fantastic!
It was just breathtaking. (Kingsbridge, Devon)
OUT OF THIS WORLD, REALLY FANTASTIC
WE ENJOYED IT VERY, VERY MUCH
THE STAGING, DRESSES, MUSIC ....
I LOVE YOUR PERFORMANCES
CONGRATULATION, AND THANKS
Lovely production, gorgeous dancing from everybody, unfortunately evening spoiled by the music, which was fortissimo in the quiet sections and just got louder and louder until it was painful. Can't imagine the orchestra responsible for that, so must be a fault of the broadcast.
Hi Harriet,
Thank you for getting in touch. I'm so sorry to hear your evening was spoiled by sound issues, could you please let us know the name of the cinema via our email account cinema@roh.org.uk so we can try and resolve the issue?
Many thanks,
Emma
ROH Cinema Team
Saw Nutcracker last night streamed to local cinema. Have never seen before so this
may be normal- but found the sweet kingdom set like a Gothic gloomy graveyard!! Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince were awesome!
Hello Carolyn!
I was surprised by your comment about the set. It's a massively 'blown-up' version of the decoration surrounding the cake in Act One. I hope it didn't ruin it for you.
I really like Julia Trevelyan-Oman's designs and think they add a lot to the success and durability of this production. It's a pity she wasn't mentioned last night.
First time for me to watch ballet at the cinema (from Bilbao, Spain) and it's been such a great experience. It is a beautiful, fresh and absolutely adorable production. Thank you for putting it closer to everyone!
Have seen this production in the cinema last year and on DVD. But last night was something really special! I agree with all the wonderful comments, the performance was electric, totally outstanding, had the most marvelous time. So privileged to have been able to share in a memorable performance. I shall never forget. Thank you to all the dancers and everyone concerned. Merry Christmas!!!
The performance was delightful, the cast were superb, the music excellent and I love the production, but could someone please sedate the cameras?
I know it makes video directors sad, but could someone please stop them randomly cutting to excessive close-ups that make it impossible to follow the action? There are many of us who'd like to see the dancing rather than close-ups of static upper halves or excessive zooms onto one member of a couple that loses the relationship and communication between the dancers that is the point of the choreography.
Hi Colman,
Thanks for your comment. I have feedback to our Film and Broadcast Team. The director thinks very carefully about how they film each production, using multiple cameras to capture tiny expressive moments in close up and highlight intimate engagements between the characters.
If we showed the complete performance in one single cut, or wide shot, it would somewhat hinder us in telling the story of The Nutcracker for cinema audiences. Obviously, we understand this won't please everyone but our highly experienced multi-camera Director is an ex Dancer with the Royal Ballet, and is in the unique position of being able to respond to the Choreography accordingly with his Camera script.
All best wishes,
Rose
A totally fabulous evening the dancing superb. One quibble, the lighting of the back the stage in act one was too low. In the cinema one could not see the Christmas Tree at all clearly it's fabulous decoration barely visible. Magic not seen is no magic. It was better lit when last relayed.a few years ago.
Still gloriously enjoyable. Thanks Rod
Wonderful! Thank you so much to everyone involved in this sublime production.
Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli were just sublime and moving last night, they made me almost cry. What an extraordinary performance they gave!
I have seen many times the Royal Ballet production of Nutcracker, but perhaps last night was one of its best revivals, if not the best at all! I don't know what happened, but something special went through the evening, a kind of mixture between happiness, energy, brio mixed to a superb melancholy. We were on another planet, like softly dreaming.
Congratulations to the whole company, and I hope there will be a DVD, I will for sure buy it!
I completely agree.
I hope this performance will be released on DVD since it was such a special one! Wish I could see it again.
really great performance, thank you for the live transmissions of Ballet and Opera for those of us who can not get to Covent Garden.
Thank you to all involved in last night's relay. A wonderful Xmas treat. And a wonderfully fitting tribute to Peter Wright. Happy Birthday, Sir Peter!
I first saw this production when it was brand new, in 1984 and was completely bowled over by it. Apart from the diminution of the tree (please restore to original size!) the production has grown better with age. Sir Peter's 'nit-picking' is a definite bonus.
Two quibbles about the relay. I agree with the comments about the lighting. Too dark at times. And shots from low levels don't really work with ballet - nor with opera, either!
The Company was on wonderful form last night and everyone deserves praise. I could go on and on about the leads and the soloists, as many have done already, but I'll restrict myself to a massive THANK YOU to all in the Snowflakes scene.
Absolutely enthralled with the performance last night. (Live cinema relay, Odeon Dorchester). Best Sugar Plum and Prince I have seen. Lauren Cuthbertson was magical again this year and Federico Bonelli was a fantastic Prince - a charismatic duo. Loved Yuhui Choe as the Rose Fairy; Marcelino Sambe's smile lit up the over dark set in Act 2. Francesca Heyward and Alex Campbell delightful Clara and Hans. Basically, everyone was on top form.
PS - DVD PLEASE.
Why showing one performance only live in cinema. Since they perform until mid january, another cinema live would be most appreciated.
Our party of 4 loved watching it last at our local cinema in Wrexham. We went specially as my brothers daughter (who's at the Royal Ballet school sixth form) was performing in it.
It would have been good to get ALL the cast, including the ones still in the RB schools, onto the stage at the end to take a bow with the rest of the cast (assuming they have not gone back to their accommodation by then of course).
If they are to go on and perform as adults they would have had a bigger taste of what it means to perform to receive the audience praise as well as doing the ballet.
Just fabulous. Everone, not just the principal dancers. The pair of Chinese dancers - fab! The four in harem pants - awesome! The Prince wow can he dance. And the growing Christmas tree was magical too. I am completely and utterly hooked on ballet having seen this performance.
Last nights relay was superb in terms of flawless dancing by all involved, splendid conducting and a Peter Wright classic production, to Julia Trevelyan Oman's brilliant designs. Francesca Hayward was a total delight as Clara and Lauren Cuthbertson was stunning as the S.P.F.
The duo with Bonelli was divine.
The cinema relay in Newport, I o W. was slightly compromised by the pounding music from the foyer filtering through on the left.
Dear Rob,
Many thanks for sharing with us how much you enjoyed the relay last night. But I'm sorry that you experienced some sound problems, which we are following up with the cinema.
Thank you again and best wishes,
Noelia
ROH Cinema
Simply wonderful! The cinema in Maidstone was jam packed! A lovely evening. Wonderful dancing! Thank you ROH for making it possible for us to watch your beautiful production.
Beautiful, delicate scenery matched by elegant production, and wonderful orchestration. The battle scene was full of fury and filled the stage with movement, the second half was thrilling. Wonderful production
A wonderful production, we watched it last year too, but our Friends group all really missed Yasmine Naghdi as The Rose Fairy!
It was truly a joy to watch this beautiful production. The dancers emitted such radiance and beauty in every scene that I felt completely mesmerised and was swept away into a 'Christmassy' magical world with them. If only the dancers could experience the heartfelt appreciation of the cinema audiences! Thank you to all involved at The Royal Ballet and Royal Opera House for providing us with a wonderfully special evening.
After the live screening of Tales of Hoffmann, I thought nothing could top that, but yesterdays screening of the Nutcracker just bowled me over. I will most certainly attend future screenings from the ROH. I enjoyed both at the Gulbenkian in Canterbury which is a great venue.
In our mid 70's and our first time at the cinama to watch ROHlive performance. Unbelievable! We have just booked to see another performance in February at the Showcase, Nottingham. More than satisfied our expectations.
Thank you so much.
say Nutcracker Thursday evening, The best thing since sliced bread. BRAVO
I saw the production last year and loved it - but something truly magical happened last night. Peter Wright's Nutcracker is true pefection- as are all the dancers of the Royal Ballet. Their acting abilities add a whole other dimension to their exquisite ballet technique. Thank you so much!
( from Paris)
Quite the best performance of the Nutcracker I gave seen. Loved Francesca Hayward as Clara such a performance so full of vitality and such a regal Sugar Plum Fairy by Lauren Cuthbertson. I think the Royal Ballet are becoming quite an amazing ballet company and seem to go from strength to strength.
Thankyou for this experience which we saw at the 'kinima in the woods' in Woodhall Spa in Lincolnsher....filled me with wonder and joy, magic....sheer magic....
Have seen The Nutcracker 5 or 6 times at Covent Garden and am a fan too of the live cinema relays. The performance tonight was Royal Ballet's usual superb standard but, in our opinion, significantly marred by the direction and in particular the excessive use of close ups. Ballet is a choreographed performance designed to be viewed as a whole - so much of the beauty of tonight's performance was lost because the camera was focused on the face of one dancer, or following someone through an apparent melle of of other dancers, far too close to appreciate the formations that were actually developing and changing on stage. In previous cinema relays I have enjoyed the occasional close up as a bonus to watching at ROH, but tonight went much too far. Please pull back a bit and allow us to savour the whole performance.
Well, watched it in the cinema just across the road from the Royal Opera House as tickets to the live show beyond my (pensioner's) means. The show was practically sold out - good sign. I've lost count of all the nutcrackers I have seen across the globe. For starters, the story telling is the best ever. Lovely costumes, lots of children of all ages (good for experience). Clara and her Nutcracker totally convincing - Clara very adept also at melting into a group of children! Francesca Hayward may have added " (or 4?) years to her age since I last saw her perform Clara, but those years have enabled her to portray a totally credible portrait of a child growing up. The rats were slgihtly less convinding. Perhaps one should not see them in close up, when they become such obvious pluche animals.
And ah! and oh! all round when the Christmas tree grew and again when all those snowflakes were twirling around. And GASP when the Sugar Plum Fairy just sailed up like a feather to land on her partner should, not just once, but twice. That was the best performance of that pas de deux ever. Bravo to light footed, elegant and cool Cuthbertson and big jumps and softly landing Bonelli. Not to mention his partnering!! The caterpillar had gone and the Chinese are definitely less stereotyped, a good thing.
One small quesiton: would Clara really run out into the ice cold at the end of the ballet without wearing at least a stole? There is one around in the reception room, she was wearing it when she came down in the dark. Why not pick it up and run out? And if you need the Prince to put a coat around her, let her drop the stole when she sees him and then he can pick it up again.
Perfect performance. Perfect show. But the pre-show and interval stuff was less than interesting. And it wasn't only me who was bored and irritated by the mumbling me-me-me presentation. The whole auditorium got bored, started chatting, went out to get pop corn, started tweeting and phoning, congregated in the aisles, backs turned to the screen. Until, that is, the pointe shoes appeal come on. At that point people started to watch and listen again. One could feel them being intrigued and mystified by the "abuse" inflicted on pointe shoes! Surely you could have shown an excerpt from the rehearsal with Christopher Carr, Marcellino Sambe and Laetitia Stock? And what about telling a bit more about the costumes and the scenery? Or tell us a bit about other stagings for the RB, such as the Georgiadis & Nureyev one? What a lost opportunity.
I have wanted to see Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker for years and finally saw the live performance on Thursday; what an absolutely stunning and magical show!! Incredible dancing, music, the spectacular sets, everything coming together even more beautifully that I could've hoped for. This has without a doubt become my new Christmas tradition.
(Fantastic quality of streaming in PPH Oxford as well, can't wait to see more ballets there)
We loved it! Comfortable seats at The Printworks, Manchester - a sense of anticipation in the air as the minutes ticked away. Quite a few late arrivals (naughty folk). A long list of things to admire in it - magical dancers, choreography, set, costumes. I'm still not sure how all the tricks (inc. the painting & tree) were done - and the wonderful Lauren Cuthbertson - (the woman behind me loved the Sugar Plum Fairy so much she said she might cry, perhaps she did). Sir Peter Wright's appearance, of course. Perhaps I'd like to have seen a little more live action behind the stage ... rushing about before "curtain up" ... all helps build the atmosphere (and I'm nosy). I'm not sure there was any advertising by the cinema or in the MEN, you had to know it was on (didn't bother us, booked online) - but plenty were there. Thank you!
Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli as The Sugar Plum Fairy and The Prince were magical!!!
Thank you to S. Peter Wraight and to The Royal Ballet for another amazing production.
Perfect cast - DVD of this cast please! Definitely the best production I've seen in fifty years with so many dramatic touches (RB speciality). Only criticisms - too many close -ups in first act so that various bits of business were missed, and as usual the cinema screening made stage lighting appear a little dim.
Loved every minute of it. There seemed to have been some minor difficulties with the picture - went slightly blurry sometimes - but still absolutely beautiful to watch!
What a great cast, that was - if that's even possible - better than in last year's relay. Absolutely stunning and magical.
I also have to highlight Itziar Mendizabal in the Arabian and also the new Chinese dance! Congratulations to everyone involved, truly magical! Very grateful for being able to watch the productions in the cinema!
Hi Steph,
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the screening of The Nutcracker - it really was a fantastic performance! I'm sorry to hear though that the cinema you were in was experiencing image problems - could you please let us know via our email account cinema@roh.org.uk which cinema you were attending so we can find out what the problem was?
With best wishes,
Emma
Perfection - the best Nutcracker ever.
again PERFECTION.
This was the first time I had attended a live screening of a ballet performance (I have seen many theatre productions in such a way).
Firstly, the ballet itself was marvellous, an absolute triumph - such a great production and incredible performances. And living way down here in Cornwall I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to see this through the live screening programme. So my further comments are in no way a criticism of either the ballet - completely wonderful - or the whole programme of live screenings - invaluable.
My problem was with the way the cameras were set up for the streaming. I felt there was far too much in the way of zooming in and close up. Although it was good to see some of the work close to, I felt that with the approach taken I lost the sense of the ballet spectacle, of the way in which the stage was filled and energised. Some of the camera work was particularly clumsy - we saw characters reacting to something that we could not see, performers entered the stage without our knowledge and there were a number of times when there were two dancers on stage but we only saw one of them at a time. We missed that action/reaction, call/response that is so crucial in such a performance. Also, when following a dancer around we lost the sense of how they travelled around the stage and the height they achieved. (This was particularly noticeable with the male dancers). And the pace of the movements, with the camera following, was sometimes quite dizzying. I remember that the first theatre performance that I saw streamed using cameras in this way was a bit disconcerting, but there are moments in drama that allow for focus on one character -although I am still not sure whether or not I might prefer a still camera. But for ballet I am struggling to see the advantage for the audience in this approach. I thoroughly enjoyed it so don't want you to take this as a negative response - I would just like to understand better why it is streamed in this way and what others feel about it. Thank you, and once again, it was a perfectly gorgeous production.
Breathtaking production streamed to Woodford cinema..apart from a few sound blips.
How do I send message to Roh website whilst in cinema without wifi contact?
Hi Sally,
Thanks for getting in touch - I'm so glad you enjoyed the production of The Nutcracker, but I'm sorry to hear about the sound blips you experienced. We will follow up with the cinema to hopefully resolve any problems they may be having. If you do not have access to the internet I'm afraid you won't be able to access our website during a screening, but many venues now have their own public wifi so it's always worth asking in case you can connect that way.
Best wishes,
Emma
Unfortunately, in Canada, the distributor for Cineplex Theatres backed out of all of this season's Royal Ballet broadcasts. We are very disappointed as we were so looking forward to them. Don't know if this can be rectified or not.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for getting in touch, I'm sorry that we are not currently broadcasting our productions in your local cinema. Our international partners are always working to extend our reach however, so I'll pass your comments on - please keep an eye on our website as well, since if any cinemas are added, we will be showing them there: http://www.roh.org.uk/cinemas
Best wishes,
Emma
Wonderful production, beautiful scenery and costumes, Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince were quite outstanding but far too many close-ups.
I went to see the encore performance at the Vue on the Finchley Road on Sunday. Unfortunately there was no sound so it was cancelled and i received a complimentary ticket for the third time. This is because the last performance I went to see was Frankenstein which was also cancelled. Previous to that Swan Lake which had no sound for the first 20mins.
Out of four visits I have had one performance with no problems La Fille Mal Gardee.
It's great to see all the great comments but for me I think I think I might call it a day on watching in the cinema.
Hi Richard,
Thank you for getting in touch, I'm so sorry to hear that you have had such a bad experience again with another one of our screenings. Thank you for letting us know however, as we will follow up with the cinema and try to resolve any issues they may be having. In the meantime, I hope that you won't give up and will consider attending a future relay - perhaps you could consider another cinema? Please check our website to help find your nearest screenings: http://www.roh.org.uk/cinemas Many thanks again for your help and I hope you have more luck with future screenings.
With best wishes,
Emma
As I couldn't make the Thursday live relay I went to the Sunday afternoon reprise performance. We almost saw the Bolshoi Nutcracker at Paignton and I had to alert the cinema staff the wrong performance was being shown. Glad to report they changed it to The Royal production. Superb performance as always.
Brilliant - adored every minute. Those floating angels were doll-like and I want one for my tree! As always a sublime performance from the Royal Ballet and, a first, my husband remained awake for the whole performance. There is no finer accolade!
I agree with all the above positive comments , The Royal Ballet is superlative . We are so lucky to get these live streams . I'm an Oap and this is the only way I can get to see you now . BIG thank you !
‘The Nutcracker’ is the quintessential Christmastide ballet – and for good reason – for here is a ballet that not only sets the bar for all narrative ballets, it also carries with it a wonderful story depicting the romantic notion of ‘first love’ against a ‘sea of turmoil’ brought about by the cruel pomposity of Clara’s brother Fritz as he and his friends bully, taunt, and tease Clara – culminating in the deliberate and wanton destruction of Clara’s beautiful Christmas present from her Godfather Drosselmeyer – the gifted maker of fabulous automatons, wondrous clocks, and astonishing toys.
And so the adventure begins – because this is no ordinary nutcracker – ‘this’ nutcracker carries inside of it the entrapped spirit of Drosselmeyer’s nephew Hans Peter – and as Clara falls asleep her adventure begins with a nightmare – a nightmare that will draw out of her the courage and fortitude to stand up to her wicked adversaries - and in overcoming her fears, Clara realises that although you cannot control what goes on ‘outside’, you can ALWAYS control what goes on ‘inside’ – and you must take risks – and as Clara learns this invaluable ‘lesson’ Clara is rewarded with the gift of love and respect.
And in this wonderful ‘Cinemalive’ performance there was someone very special performing in the ballet that – like Clara - also (finally) showed courage and seriously raised her game – but before I reveal who this brave person is, I continue with a big ‘thank you’ to the wonderful collaboration between the BBC and The Royal Ballet.
Ballet is a sorely neglected subject on British TV – and whilst we are ‘spoon-fed’ on dreary soaps; ‘pointless’ quiz shows; and manufactured ‘chat shows’ on a daily basis, the best we get is one ballet a year – usually shown at Christmastide.
Not ‘this’ year’ – this has been the best year EVER for ballet - gems including ‘Darcey Bussell’s wonderful programme ‘Finding Margot’; Darcey’s ‘My life at the BBC’; and the fabulous film ‘Dancing The Nutcracker – inside the Royal Ballet’ – which gave us an insight into the tremendous discipline; dedication; and commitment every ballerina and ballerino gives to their art (check out the BBC iPlayer to see them).
And there is still more to come on New Years Day right after ‘The New Years Day Strauss concert’ – Mathew Bourne’s amazing ‘take’ on the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ fable – where ‘Aurora’ (bringer of light and hope – representing Mother Nature) is compelled to ‘sleep’ as Scaraboose (religion) runs amock until the day a ‘prince’ awakens Aurora from her slumber with ‘true’ loves kiss – and Scaraboose is destroyed.
But there is even MORE dear reader! ‘How can this be?’ I hear you ask – and I shall tell you.
The Royal Ballet have released a fantastic ‘boxed set’ of TWENTY TWO ballets presented in SHD (Super High Definition) on 15 BluRays/DVDs in beautiful silver cases; and a fabulous book – all contained in a beautiful ‘Royal blue’ presentation box.
This fabulous, much sought-after, anthology showcases some of the finest ballerinas and ballerinos alive in the world today – and the collection includes many of the ballets transmitted on ‘Cinemalive’ - so for just over SIX POUNDS (Sterling) per BALLET, this anthology is without doubt the ‘bargain of the year’.
And so – let us return to last nights amazing presentation of Peter Wright’s version of ‘The Nutcracker’.
The first thing to note was the pin-sharp precision of the orchestra under the magical baton of Boris Gruzin. His control of the orchestra to achieve pitch-perfect timing and fabulous dynamics to the syncopated steps of the dancers, as well as maintaining the ethereal quality of the singing from the London Oratory Junior Choir during the ‘Dance of the snowflakes’ – whilst also giving the amazing virtuosity of the soloists of the orchestra ‘room to breathe’ as these gifted people created moving spirituality between themselves and the dancers was astonishing.
As we looked in awe as each ‘transformation’ took place – from Drosselmeyer’s workshop to banqueting hall; from banqueting hall to battlefield; from battlefield to forest; and from forest to an exquisite glittering Rococo palace, we experienced dazzling virtuoso dancing that made us gasp with awe - that I can only describe as ‘divinely beautiful’.
Oh what a joy to see the new version of ‘The Chinese Dance’. This is a ‘game-changer’ that has seriously ‘pushed the boundaries’ for future artists.
And how could one fail to notice how the ‘Cossacks’ (brilliantly performed by Alexander Campbell, Tristan Dyer, and Paul Kay) seriously ‘upped their game’ as they followed in the footsteps of Luca Acri and Marcelino Sambe – that Chinese Dance is one hard act to follow.
And so we come to the pique steps and grand leaps of ‘Sugarplum’.
I have to say that Lauren Cuthbertson brought wonderful lyricism. Her legs ‘sang’ as she performed the most beautiful pas de bourree suivi – literally ‘floating’ in the air as her arms rippled and her entire being displayed a ‘sweetness’ that left me breathless.
But then – if that was not sufficient – what took place in the pas de deux really put the icing on the cake.
Although Lauren Cuthbertson possesses astonishing grace, beauty, lyricism, and stamina, Lauren generally does not ‘take risks’, and so some of her leaps are hesitant and she appears to lack confidence in her ability to perform them.
I don’t know whether this is not having ‘faith’ in herself, or she lacks ‘trust’ in her partner – but something magical happened to Lauren yesterday that brought about a long-awaited ‘step-change’.
It occurred when Lauren launched herself into the ‘shoulder-sit’ lift to sit on her cavalier’s shoulders – denoting devotion.
Now thankfully, in classical ballet, all intricate steps; fabulous jete’s; stunning pirouettes; and ‘big lifts’ are repeated at least twice – lest one thinks they are ‘flukes’.
As Lauren performed the first ‘shoulder-sit’ and ‘fish-dive’ her usual hesitancy revealed itself – but then – when Lauren performed it again – suddenly something magical happened. Lauren appeared to lose all abandon and she performed the ‘shoulder-sit’ and ‘fish-dive’ with courage and CONVICTION.
The radiant glowing smile on this wonderful ladies face as she executed the moves with grace and panache spoke VOLUMES about how she was feeling inside – and the sudden uncontrollable burst of tears streaming down my face spoke volumes at the magical moment I had just witnessed.
As to the production – the magic was magical; the music was magnificent; the dancing was spectacular; and the story is one from which we can all draw strength.
And there I shall stop – except to offer up a constructive suggestion to the director of photography – and it is this – we want to see how a dancer takes command of the space in which they reside so will you please direct your cameramen and grips to give ‘space’ for the soloists to ‘dance into’ – as opposed to ‘tracking’ the dancer as if he or she was a Formula One racing car.
Thank you for reading my review – and enjoy the rest of your Christmastide.
We have a family tradition to see the Nutcracker every year at the Royal Opera House. We absolutely love the perfect performance by the Royal Ballet. Thank you! We love you all!
Magnifique ! magique ! Tout est superbe, les danseurs et danseuses, les costumes, les scènes ! Quel bonheur dans ces temps si durs !
I saw it in Miami, FL at Tower Theater today and loved it. I did miss mother ginger and kids though, what a shame to cut them!
Hayward and Campbell were absolute perfection!
My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing Nutcracker live in December 2006. A magical experience, although I am not into ballet. Unfortunately your live shows are not available in South Africa.It DOES expose more audiences to the experience. Well done.
I go to see Nutcracker every year and did so on 1 Dec followed by the live transmission on 8 Dec. Wonderful! The production is terrific and very moving, and the performance first-class. Such a treat, and I enjoyed the pre-performance and interval features too. Good to see Alessander Ferri again!
Just reread all these comments and feeling again the thrill and emotion I felt at Dec 2016 live relay - especially Sugar Plum's performance. Still hoping for announcement of a DVD of this magical evening in time for Christmas! It would be top of my Christmas List.
A magical evening at the Thornden School Chandler's Ford. Please will you produce a DVD?