Ballet Idaho opens colorful, opulent, magical ‘Nutcracker’ production
Ballet Idaho opened its new production of “The Nutcracker” on Thursday to a full house with the Boise Philharmonic, under the baton of music director Eric Garcia. The stage held more than 100 children and an astounding array of lavish costumes, opulent sets and magical snow.
As the curtain rose on each scene, “oohs” and “aahs” from the audience rose with it. The new look made for an amped-up iteration of Ballet Idaho’s already solid version of the holiday classic, which was created 10 years ago by choreographer and then-Ballet Idaho artistic director Peter Anastos.
Though the story of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince is the same, the look and feel of the show is lively and fresh.
This is the company’s fourth “Nutcracker” since its founding in the early 1990s. Anastos created the last one in 2008, his first year in Boise.
The price tag for this confectionery treat is about $1 million, donated by community members and companies, including Esther Simplot, John and Joan Carley, A.J. and Susan Balukoff, J.R. Simplot Co., the Morrison Center Endowment Foundation and the national M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. (The 2008 production was done for significantly less, though at the time the company declined to say how much it cost.)
Anastos worked on this production for the past three years, after he and the company realized its existing sets and costumes, designed by A. Christina Giannini, were deteriorating. Anastos retired as artistic director in 2017, handing the company over to Garrett Anderson. But Anastos kept working on this show with theater designer Margaret A. Mitchell, a professor of theater at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.
Mitchell has a background in classical theater, and this is her first full-length ballet. She partnered with set designer Christopher McCollum, who also teaches at UIW.
McCollum’s backdrops and sets are jaw-dropping. They fill the stage fully, visually taking you to the rafters of the Stahlbaum house and the wide expanse of the night sky depicting the Northern Lights for the Snow Scene in Act I.
Cheers and applause erupted when the Stahlbaum’s Christmas tree grew at the top of the dream sequence. It pushed through the ceiling to reveal a holiday night scene where the battle with the bejeweled Mouse King took place. (The adult mice are wonderfully creepy, the baby mice are all kinds of cute.)
McCollum’s second act sets equaled his first. The Act II variations in the Land of the Sweets happen against an intricate series of towering pillars, festooned with candy-colored fringe, garland and glitter.
Mitchell’s costumes sparkled at every turn, with diaphanous fabrics that moved and shimmered with every move.
The show is a visual feast that sometimes borders on overload. When that happens, just focus on any one aspect — the “framed” art on the Stahlbaum’s wall, the delightful play of turquoise in the opening scene’s costumes, the bright red of the second-act Arabian costumes, or the giant full moon above the Snow Scene.
Boise-based lighting designer and Boise State professor Raquel Davis went to town and really created the visual ambiance for each set. Her handiwork was especially magical in the Snow Scene, highlighting the deep midnight blues and sparkling “snow” as it sprinkled down like so much sugar. The effect of the dancers sprinkling snow from their hands was stunning.
It all made a sumptuous frame for the dancers. This company continues to grow in strength and performance depth. Throughout the weekend you’ll see two different casts do the roles, including the children.
Anastos built on his past choreography for this production, leaning on the original feel and steps created by Marius Petipas and Lev Ivanov in 1892.
The Thursday night opening cast turned in beautiful performances: Adrienne Kerr and Justin Hughes dazzled as the Snow Queen and King in a Snow Scene that was pure delight.
Elizabeth Barretto and Andrew Taft performed Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier. Barretto was perfectly delicate and deft, while Taft nailed his big tricks with his signature flair.
Daniel Ojeda played the Clara’s mystical godfather Herr Drosselmeyer, who brings the Nutcracker Doll and others to life at the Act I Christmas Eve party, as part-magician, part-mad scientist. His costume was a bit on the steampunk spectrum. He also elicited cheers and claps with his athletic second act Russian variation.
Ethan Schweitzer-Gaslin, as always, was near perfection as the Nutcracker, a role he’s danced for several years. Every leap floated, every move was sharp. And doing that first-act choreography with a mask on is no easy task.
New to the company this season, Megumi Nishimori danced the Ballerina Doll with precision and panache.
The Waltz of the Flowers, with some particularly stunning costumes, was breathtaking, with Jessica Sulikowski as the Dew Drop Fairy.
One of the best aspects of any “Nutcracker” is seeing young talent. The ballet has a long history and is codified in America’s dance and holiday culture. Nearly every ballerina and male dancer in the company probably started as a Clara or Fritz, Baby Mouse or Angel.
The junior cast here shows off the company’s academy well. Eliana Hayward was lovely and expressive as Clara and Marko Jankovic was energetic and strong as the bratty Fritz.
Now, there are some critical points. The philharmonic sounded beautiful playing Tchaikovsky’s score, but some of the tempos were lagging at times, making the choreography appear labored. A brisker edge to the timing would tighten things up.
There were some fun Idaho touches, including using an Idaho miner’s cap as inspiration for the Nutcracker’s hat, and incorporating a nod to Idaho’s state flower, the syringa, into the waltz costumes. But the use of Boise State Bronco blue and orange for the second-act sailors’ costumes didn’t quite work. The tones were flat and felt heavy next to the glittering array of pinks, yellows, blues and golds.
This production truly is a gift to the community that will last a long time. And in the end the production is uplifting for the holiday season. The audience caught the spirit and left with a glow — and that’s what it’s all about.
Get tickets
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22, and 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23
Where: Morrison Center, 2201 Cesar Chavez Drive, on Boise State University campus. Tickets: $40-$65 at MorrisonCenter.com and at the box office.
NOTE: Most matinee performances are sold out. There are tickets available for evenings.
This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 2:37 PM.
