NUTCRACKER’S last dance, in the modern London Coliseum version at least, starts tonight, going through until 3 January.
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Most notably, the English National Ballet’s costumes were designed by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, whose eccentric approach added a fresh twist to Tchaikovsky’s family Christmas favourite.
“The Nutcracker is a show that children are taken to see by their parents and grandparents as a Christmas treat, so while I wanted the designs to appeal to adult ballet fans, I also tried to fill them with colour and fun – things that children will remember,” said Scarfe back in 2002, on the eve of the show’s launch.
“I have tried to give the production a much more modern feel.”
Not that everyone liked it seven years ago.
Scarfe armed Nutcracker’s mice with Kalashnikovs, which pressed the outrage button marked “Terrorist!”, provoking a bit of a media storm.
Despite all that, or maybe because of it, audiences have flocked to the Coliseum year after year, but not after this year folks. Catch it while you can, as Clara might say to the Prince.
