The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Toer van Schayk and Wayne Eagling, music by Tchaikovsky
Anna Tsygankova (Clara), Matthew Golding (Prince / Drosselmeier's Nephew), James Stout (Nutcracker), Alexander Zhembrovskyy (Mouse King), Wolfgang Tietze (Mr. Drosselmeijer) — Dutch National Ballet
Cast
Toer van Schayk — Choreographer, set designer, costume designer
Wayne Eagling — Choreographer
Hans Åke Sjöquist — Lighting designer
Anna Tsygankova — Clara Staalboom
Matthew Golding — Prince / Mr. Drosselmeijer’s nephew
James Stout — Nutcracker
Alexander Zhembrovskyy — Mouse King
Program notes
Is it possible to give one of the world's best-known Christmas stories a twist? For Wayne Eagling and Toer van Schayk of the Dutch National Ballet, the answer is a resounding and high-flying yes...
In 1996, the duo presented a captivating new version of one of most beloved ballets of all time, taking the original name of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, the basis of the Alexandre Dumas retelling that inspired Tchaikovsky and Petipa’s ballet. This new dynamic choreography helped inaugurate a holiday tradition in the Netherlands with a uniquely Dutch vision of the brave toy’s battle against the Mouse King in the imaginative escapades of Clara, sublimely danced here by Anna Tsygankova, who “glitters like a jewel in the main role. Beautifully lyrical, light and musical, as if she is driven by Tchaikovsky himself” (acording to De Telegraaf). Set in the early 1800s during the feast of Saint Nicholas, this gorgeous Nutcracker sees Clara’s living room transform into a snowy forest, and sends dancers skating down frozen Dutch canals!
This production contains potentially offensive cultural depictions; viewer discretion is advised.
