It is over 100 years ago since Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the third of his ballet scores, The Nutcracker. However, the fact that it still appeals to parents and children alike makes it as relevant today as it was at the end of the Victorian era. Following on from his success of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsky produced a magnificent score to compliment the storyline of ETA Hoffman’s fairytale.

Drosselmeyer, a doll-maker, is attending a Christmas party. He gives one of the children, Clara, a nutcracker in the shape of a toy soldier.

Magic now happens and Clara is transported into a dream world where she first encounters a group of naughty mice and the Mouse King.

They are attacked by a group of soldiers who arrive down a drawbridge. The leader of these saves Clara and kills the Mouse King and then turns into a handsome prince who Clara falls in love with.

Drosselmeyer then takes Clara and the Prince to a silver sleigh, in which they start their journey to the land of fantasy.

Clara and the Nutcracker Prince float in a sea of hopes and dreams amongst the clouds towards the land of fantasy and fun where Drosselmeyer has sent them.

Here they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and many other characters, Cossack Dancers, Spanish Dancers, Turkish Maidens, and Chinese Acrobats etc.

The portrayal of Clara by Brazilian dancer Isabella Gasparini was outstanding and beautifully danced.

Likewise, Christopher Hinton-Lewis as Drosselmeyer was excellent, as was David Ward as the Prince. Also outstanding were Julie Charlet as the Sugar Plum Fairy and John Hull as the Cavalier.

The supporting cast provided excellent support and I thought David Nixon, Director and Choreographer, had done an excellent job of fitting in French Ballet and Arabian, Russian, Spanish and Chinese dance into Tchaikovsky’s score.

The children who danced in the first act were absolutely delightful as well.

I was highly impressed with the excellent sets ranging from Clara’s home at the beginning of the ballet through the fantasy scenes in the clouds and also the festival of dance in front of the temple.

But the highlight for me, and the many families in the audience had to be the snow scene at the end of Act One.

The Northern Ballet Theatre Orchestra under the direction of John Pryce-Jones played Tchaikovsky’s score brilliantly and the choreography by David Nixon was once again absolutely superb.

This was an evening where one of the best ballets ever written was brilliantly performed by one of the world’s leading companies. It was an absolute pleasure to see it.