Review | New Nutcracker production a triumph for Hong Kong Ballet and its artistic director Septime Webre
- With its Hong Kong setting and playful cultural references, new production is a crowd-pleaser. The sets are stunning and imaginative costumes a riot of colour
- Ye Feifei dazzles as the Sugar Plum Fairy, as does Shen Jie as the Monkey King and Lead Jockey, but the Nutcracker character is left with too little to do
The Nutcracker is back – and back with a bang. Like a well-stuffed Christmas cracker, the new production by Hong Kong Ballet’s artistic director, Septime Webre, explodes with a bounty of colourful sets and costumes, virtuoso choreography, and comedy.
From the moment you walk into the theatre and see how the proscenium arch has been framed in golden curlicues (“Wah!” went many children as they entered), and a scaled-down version of the Tsim Sha Tsui clock tower off the stage on one side and Clara’s bedroom on the other, you know this is going to be a spectacular show.
The Christmas party which opens Act One is genuinely joyful. The guests, from the old but sprightly grandfather to the naughty children, are clearly having a wonderful time. Characterisation is full of details and Webre, typically, injects plenty of humour. It was an inspired idea to base the set on the 1914 mansion which now houses the Sun Yat Sen Museum, and the mix of Western and Chinese costumes and characters works nicely.
The magical puppet show features a crane and a peony that emerge from an enormous vase decorated with those auspicious creatures, plus a virtuoso performance by the Monkey King.
