THE NUTCRACKER

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

WHEN CAN I SEE IT AGAIN ?

CAN'T GET ENOUGH NUTCRACKER !

THIS.... THE NEVADA BALLET THEATRE 'S ALL TOO SHORT 6 PERFORMANCE RUN OF THE TCHIAKOVSKY CLASSIC AT THE SMITH CENTER DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS.

ITS HALF OVER....YOU CAN STILL GO...... 19 20 21 DECEMBER..... 702 749 2000.

THE DAMN THING WAS 12 MINUTES LATE....

HERE....... RANDOM THOUGHTS AND REACTIONS TO SUNDAY EVENINGS PERFORMANCE.

THE COST OF THIS MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE MILLIONS...THEY HAD A SPONSER FOR EACH PERFORMANCE AND ONE FOR THE FALLING SNOWFLAKES !

THIS PRODUCTION QUITE TWEAKED AND DIFFERENT THAN PAST NBT SHOWS...SAME THEME ....SAME STORY (WHATEVER IT IS)....SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION...SALUTING ALL INVOLVED...STARTING WITH NBT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JAMES CANFIELD.....THE NBT JUST DOES NOT DO BAD STUFF AND THIS LIKE MOST NBT PERFORMANCES IN THE OVER THE TOP CATEGORY.

THEY RAN DIALOGUE OVER THE CURTAIN FOR SCENE CHANGES.....IT WAS TOO FAST....HARD TO READ.....SLOW IT DOWN...GIVE US SOME MORE VIOLINS !

THEY REUSED THE FOUR STORY HOUSE...WITH OPEN STAGE FRONT ROOMS THAT INCLUDED PERFORMERS....IN MY "WHAT CAN GO WRONG ?"....PESSIMISSTIC THOUGHT PROCESS...I ALWAYS FEAR SOMEONE WOULD FALL OFF THE FOURTH FLOOR.....NO ONE DID ! !

COLOSSAL SETS...WELL PRODUCED TRANSITIONS AND REALLY REALLY FINE DANCING ON THIS SHOW.....THEY PRODUCE A SEPARATE PROGRAM FOR EACH SHOW SO AT 530 I GOT A DIFFERENT ONE THAN THE ONE AT 1....WONDER HOW MUCH DANCE STAFF IS OVERLAP ON THE SAME DAY ?

LOTS OF YOUNG BOYS IN THIS SHOW...USUALLY THEY HAVE GIRLS PLAYING SOME OF THE MALE YOUTH PARTS....NICE TO SEE THESE YOUNG MEN STEP UP THIER GAME !

I STILL LIVE IN THE PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY WORLD............THIS MUSIC REMAINS THE STORY.... A CENTURY AND A HALF AFTER THE FACT....YOU CAN PLAY THIS MUSIC ANY WHERE ANY TIME FOR ME....TCHAIKOVSKY WOULD AMAZE HIMSELF TODAY TO SEE WHAT HE WROUGHT.....WHAT A GENIUS TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND POP THIS OUT.....SATURDAY I WAS AT A TWO HOUR HARP CONCERT...LOVED IT.....LOTS AND LOTS OF HARP HERE TOO...BRILLIANT.
THE SOUND IN THE SMITH CENTER USUALLY AWFUL FOR PLAYS AND PRODUCTIONS JUST WONDERFUL DOWNSTAIRS TONIGHT FOR THE LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC PLAYING IN THE PIT.....DID NOT HERE A MISSED NOTE AND HERE IS MUSIC WHERE I WOULD NOTICE....OF COURSE THE LVPHIL NEVER MISSES A NOTE...CONDUCTOR JACK GAUGHAN....NICE JOB........39 CREDITED....MUST BE CROWDED DOWN THERE !

NEW RAGGY COSTUMES FOR THE RATS....LIKED THE LOOK....THEY ALWAYS HAM IT UP AND PROBABLY DIDN'T GET ENOUGH TIME HERE.............DANCING BEAR...IVAN FERGUSON....YOU MAY HAVE BEEN THE BEST DANCER ON STAGE TONIGHT....THANKS,

DIFFERENT PARTS AND SEGMENTS STAGED DIFFERENTLY IN THIS PRODUCTION.....MY WIFE ALWAYS SAYS ..."I KNOW HOW IT ENDS !"....WELL SHE MAY BUT SHE SURE DIDN'T KNOW THE PATH OR THE ROUTE TO THE END TODAY BECAUSE LOTS OF THIS WAS CREATIVELY TWEAKED....CREATIVELY NEW....MAYBE FOR THE BETTER.

NICE OVERALL EFFORT BY THE DANCERS....GOOD LINES...GOOD EFFORT .....NO ONE OUT OF LINE.

AT THE END OF THE FIRST ACT THE SNOW FELL FOR 15 MINUTES...BEAUTIFULLY....JUST ON THE FRONT OF THE STAGE OF COURSE BUT IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE DANCING IN THE SNOW....GIVING ME THE IDEA THAT THIS COULD HAVE LOOKED DIFFERENTLY FROM UP......BACK....SIDES....DEEPER....I AM NEVER BIG ON BEING UP FRONT AND I WAS TODAY....LEAVING ME THE IDEA OF A DIFFERNT LOOK FROM FARTHER BACK.....I AM SURE YOU WOULD HAVE HAD A SPECTACULAR LOOK FROM THE BALCONY.

WITH SO MUCH PRODUCTION...LABOR...SETS...COSTUMES...MAKES YOU WONDER IF THEY COULD BREAK EVEN ON THIS....NICE CROWD TODAY.

LIKED THE HARLEQIN DOLL.... KYLE WEIGHT AND COLUMBIAN DOLL..... EMMA MCGIRR....NOT QUITE AS ROBOTIC AS IN THE PAST....ANOTHER NEW TOUCH ON THE UPDATED LOOK.

AS LONG AS TCHAIKOVSKY PLAYS THIS WILL LIVE FOREVER...CAN'T WAIT TIL THE NEXT ONE.....STILL THREE CHANCES THIS WEEKEND 702 749 2000

MOST OF THE 1500 ARRIVED ON TIME AT 530....NOT THE PRODUCTION...STILL AWFUL TO TAKE 12 POINTS OFF THEIR PERFECT BALLET FOR BEING LATE !

88 B+