Carlos Acosta's Nutcracker in Havana

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Acosta Danza Nutcracker in Havana The Lowry, 27 Jan 2025, 19:30

Carlos Acosta's Nutcracker in Havana had been promoted as a reimagining of Ivanov's ballet.  That filled me with trepidation as I negotiated Manchester's rush hour traffic because reworking a well-known and well-loved ballet is not easy to do.  David Dawson pulled it off with his Swan Lake for Scottish Ballet as did Ted Brandsen with his Coppelia but I regret that I can't say the same for David Nixon's Swan Lake or the Coppelia of Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright.

Although the show started with projections of Havana and an ancient American convertible lumbering across the stage Nutcracker in Havana was not so very different from any other Nutcracker. While the Stahlbaums' Christmas party was set in Havana and the score was orchestrated with Latin American rhythms and harmonies using a lot of percussion and such instruments as the Cuban tres and lute, the story was followed faithfully even down to the snow scene and the children's choir. All the characters were recognizable and the choreography retained such highlights as Sugar Plum's pas de deux with her prince.

The Sugar Plum Fairy in this production was Laura Rodríguez a former principal of Camaguey Ballet,  She was partnered by Alejandro Silva, a former principal of the Cuban National Ballet.  The ballet revolves around the adventures of Clara and Drosselmeyer.  Clara was danced with vivacity and charm by Adria Dia. Drosselmeyer, who was referred to as Tío or Uncle Elías Drosselmeyer in the cast list, was danced by Alexander Verona.  According to the programme notes he had made his way to Miami 30 years earlier where he acquired his fortune.  He performed some spectacular conjuring tricks and it was those tricks that impressed one member of the audience who was otherwise critical of the show.

 

Brandy Martinez was Clara's naughty little brother Frirz who could not keep his fingers off her Christmas present.   He also took part in a very athletic Russian dance in Act II.  Denzel Francis was King Rat, Clara's grandfather, a cook and one of the very energetic and almost aggressive dancers in the Chinese dance.   The other dancer in that divertissement was Leandro Fernandez who was also one of the children.  Everyone in the show danced well and if I were to mention everyone who impressed me this review would look like a telephone directory.

I enjoyed the show and so it seemed did most of the audience who rewarded the cast with a standing ovation. Much of the success should be attributed to Nina Dunn's set designs and projections, Angelo Alberto's costumes and Pepe Gavilondo Péon's arrangements of the score.

I had previously seen Acosta Danza's 100% Cuban in 2022.  That was a mixed bill.  Staging a full-length classical ballet is a more complex proposition. It demonstrates how much the company has developed in the last three years.  Their UK base is the Acosta Dance Centre in Woolwich which I visited in 2023.  Though they are a Cuban company they are contributing much to dance and dance education in this country.