As a reimagination of the traditional Christmastime ballet, Carlos Acosta’s ‘Nutcracker in Havana’ kept all of the best parts whilst injecting it with the vibrancy of the Caribbean and bringing a sense of modernity to the story. Act 1 takes place in Clara’s home in rural Cuba where her family has gathered to celebrate Christmas Eve. Her uncle, who has been away in Miami for over thirty years, arrives, bringing gifts for the children. At the end of the evening, Clara is presented with her Nutcracker, which takes the form of a Mambí soldier in this production, before being whisked away to the Kingdom of the Sweets, a Cuban jazz venue. Clara spends Act 2 here where she enjoys watching a series of dances performed by various characters, including the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Throughout the performance, the dancers maintained their characters which made it easy for the audience to follow the story. During Act 1, I particularly enjoyed watching Wendy Friol (Clara’s grandmother), Frank Junior (Clara’s grandfather), Daniela Francia (Old Woman) and Leandro Fernández (Old Man). They all really brought their characters to life through the way that they moved on stage, and they maintained their characterisation throughout all the dances. I also thought that Alexander Verona was very convincing as Clara’s uncle, or as Tío Elías Drosselmeyer as he was in this show. His performance really brought the magic of the story to life and the magic tricks that he performed gave the show a real sense of nostalgia.
What I loved most about ‘Nutcracker in Havana’ is that Carlos Acosta added a section of traditional Cuban dance to each act. These dances were lively, dynamic and colourful, thanks to the multi-coloured ribbons that were introduced towards the end of each of these sections. They were also a treat to the ears thanks to the wooden chancleta clogs that the dancers wore for these dances. However, it wasn’t just during these sections that we were able to hear Latin American rhythms. Yasel Munoz, the composer and arranger, has taken Tchaikovsky’s original score and transformed it by adding Latin American rhythms as well as various extra instruments so that the audience really feels like they have been whisked away to Cuba.
Without a doubt, I would recommend ‘Nutcracker in Havana’ to everyone. I think that you will enjoy it whether you usually like ballets or not. It is beautiful, exciting and, most importantly, fun!
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
‘Nutcracker in Havana’ is playing at the Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 10th January and it is touring the UK until the 11th of February.
