The best word to describeRepertory Dance Theatres production of The Nutcracker is 'magical'.
From the Christmas tree growing in size to the Nutcracker coming to life, to snow falling, to angels dancing in ethereal light, and to polichinelles coming out of Mother Gigones gigantic skirt, many moments in this show capture that word.
Repertory Dances production grabs you from the get-go, when the narrator introduces the audience to some of the key characters, and continues to immerse you as Herr Drosselmeyer, portrayed mysteriously by Eric Feinstein, leads the audience through Claras and the Nutcrackers journey.
The dancing talent of these cast members is unbelievable. For example, Holly Binder as Clara is a beautiful dancer, as is Emily Becker as the Columbine doll, though the latter is also very doll like. Rowan Wessen as the Mouse King is commanding in her dance. Ironically, the first step that character does is the pas de chat, which translates as "Step of the cat" There is a beautiful dance between Clara and Herr Drosselmeyer, after the battle scene- when Clara believes the Nutcracker is dead. The following duet between the now-revived Nutcracker Prince, danced amazingly by Daniel Mayo and Clara, is quite impressive as well, especially when the Nutcracker dips Clara. Francesca Maria Kraszewski is wonderful as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and her arabesques in particular are beautiful. Elizabeth Knecht Merlino has great Spanish flair as the Spanish/Coffee dancer, and her chaines are flawless. Katie Donnelly as Coffee/Arabian is gorgeous. Her arabesques and back bends are nicely executed, and her splits are impressive. The three Marzipan dancers: Loie Cristalli, Genevieve OConnor and Abigail Pinkerton, are talented and sweet, especially when interacting with Clara, who gets up to say "Hi" to them. The backup Trepak dancers are highly energetic and adorable, as are all the Polichinelles- both Clown and Mother Gigone. Pinkerton is also a beautiful Dewdrop, particularly when doing passes and pirouettes. She has a captivating smile, and it was obvious that she was enjoying herself. Another thing that has always impresses about Repertory Dance Theatre is how talented even the youngest dancers are. For example, the little girls in the party scene: Maggie Donnelly, Johanna Mushko, Fionna OReilly, Mairead OReilly and Olivia Peters, keep up with the older girls quite impressively with some difficult choreography. The OReilly girls and Aaliyah Padilla also do a great job at Mother Gigone Polichinelles, with some complicated dance steps in that scene as well. The fact that even the little kids can dance so well in this production is a tribute to the teaching ability of artistic directors Jennifer Haltzman Tracy and Trinette Singleton.
I must also commend the flexibility of some of these dancers. For example, Lilah Ellis as the Pierrot doll has impressive acrobatics and incredible elasticity in her muscles. Roger Creels legs as the Cavalier looked like they were made of jello, thats how flexible he was! His pirouettes were especially lovely, and the chemistry between Kraszewski and him was strong. Tyler MacLeod as the Trepak lead had amazing a la second turns. He too, appeared to be very limber.
Memorable/adorable/hilarious moments in this show include the dragon in the Chinese dance, the little girls dancing in the party scene with their fathers, Brian Donelly as Mother Gigone, and a mother rushing back into the party because she had left her little daughter there, sleeping. Jamie Cristali portrayed this panic perfectly.
Something also must be said for the acting ability of some of the performers. Standouts for me were Ronan OReilly as Fritz, who was delightfully naughty and mischievous, Haltzman Tracy as Frau Silberhaus, who was prim and proper and no-nonsense with her children, Susan Fox as the grandmother, Peters as the bunny, and Wessner as the Mouse King. All of these performers made their characters especially believable.
One of the great things about Repertory Dance Theatres The Nutcracker is how easily it transforms the audience into feeling like we are part of the action. For example, the waltzing in the party scene is reminiscent of 19th century Germany, dancers running in and out create a realistic snowstorm, the languid music of Arabian makes us feel like were in an Arabian desert, and the flowers dancing together look just like buds.
Something that makes this Nutcracker special is the live music, brilliantly conducted by Ronald Demkee. An interesting tidbit of information related to the music is that the crescendo in the battle scene in Act One, when the tree grows, matches the crescendo in the Pas de Deux "Adagio" number.
There is a final chance to see this show, today at 2 pm at Miller Symphony Hall, 6th St. in Allentown. Masks, unless eating and drinking in the lobby, and proof of vaccination are required. Tickets are $22 - $42 balcony and $35- $42 mezzanine and orchestra. A $5 service charge is added for tickets ordered online. Run time is approximately two hours with intermission.