The Nutcracker | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: With a mix of joy, reflection, and sweet surprises, The Holiday Pops’ milestone 50th year continues to make the season bright

Posted on December 22, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

From hymnal to classical to Santa to the Grinch, The Holiday Pops offers something for everyone and makes it easy to alleviate the stress of the season and happily embrace what truly matters.

Celebrating a milestone 50^th year and the welcome return of the all-volunteer Tanglewood Festival Chorus, The Holidays Pops delivers a tapestry of classical and beloved Christmas carols, spiritual hymns, as well as holiday traditions through art and illustrations which always includes an annual visit from a surprisingly innovative and always jolly Santa Claus. Boston Pops conductor and host, Keith Lockhart garners warmth and reflective holiday cheer weaving in a certain classic Grinch quote by Dr. Seuss, a highly anticipated sing-along, and maybe even a dancing Maestro.

12.1.23 Keith Lockhart conducts Holiday Pops 2023 (Hilary Scott)

Sponsored by Fidelity Investments, led by Keith Lockhart, and ideal for the whole family, The Holiday Pops continues at Boston Symphony Hall through Christmas Eve. The show runs two hours including an intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

Elegantly adorning the intrinsically-detailed gold balconies with twinkling lights on thick, festive wreaths is just a sampling of the stunning surroundings inside Symphony Hall. The stage spontaneously comes to life from illuminated gifts to lighted Christmas trees to glimmering dancing snowflakes.

12.1.23 Baritone Andrew Garland performs Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the Holiday Pops (Hilary Scott)

This beautiful performance delivered equal doses of contemplative material and lightheartedness with the first half fanciful and spiritual. Among the many highlights, Baritone Andrew Garland grandly delivered an eloquent and soaring rendition of Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

12.1.23 12 Days of Christmas with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (Hilary Scott)

With a generation bombarded with CGI and AI, The Holiday Pops thrilled audiences with author Jan Brett’s colorful, authentic and imaginative illustrations. Accompanied by seamless orchestration by the Boston Pops, the audience absorbed themselves in a Jan Brett children’s book that offers a rich new vision of Tchaikovsky’s classic, The Nutcracker. Among the memorable images was a fire breathing dragon, reindeers that have antlers with lighted candlesticks, dancing bears, and Santa in a headstand wearing a bucket hat.

12.1.23 Tribute to Harry Belafonte at Holiday Pops (Hilary Scott)

The evening also contained a moving tribute to EGOT Winner, activist, and musician Harry Belafonte not only honoring Belafonte’s calypso-inspired classic tunes, but his impressive activism featuring various pictures and video of his part in the March on Washington, supporting Martin Luther King Jr, and his work with UNICEF.

The Pops delivered a captivating gospel tribute in Swahili called The Good News Voyage arranged by David Coleman which contained Go Tell it on the Mountain. In the second half of the show, The Holidays Pops presented a Jewish song sung in Hebrew, Tikkun Olan (Heal the World), a riveting rendition expressing the yearning and urgency to heal and repair the world ‘Pray for peace and justice/For the sake of peace/heal the world’ as the tempo accelerated into a powerful crescendo.

12.1.23 Santa Claus with Keith Lockhart (Hilary Scott)

Brimming with beloved classic Christmas carols and guest appearances by Santa and more, the second half of Holiday Pops was a vibrant, yuletide spectacle joyfully kicking off with Sebesky’s Frosty All the Way, a jazz-infused medley featuring Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman and more. The brass ensemble spinning their instruments was among the playful sights as they performed this catchy and airy collection of carols.

12 Days of Christmas

Boston Pops’ charming signature versions of Sleigh Ride are always clever, cheeky, and increasingly full of madcap high jinks and the 12 Days of Christmas show that anything can happen among illuminated dancing snowflakes. The Holiday Pops also presented a special annual reading of Clement Clarke Moore’s Twas the Night before Christmas, read briskly by enthusiastic special guest WBZ News journalist Matt Shearer to mark its publication nearly 200 years ago before Santa arrived. While bulbs glow to the beat, the jolly Tanglewood Festival Chorus delivered A Merry Little Singalong in Santa hats and ears which included Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, and more.

Holiday Pops concluded with the tender Let There Be Peace on Earth, as Earth shone overhead, brilliantly conveying the quiet hope for the coming New Year.

REVIEW: Mikko Nissinen’s ‘Swan Lake’ returns in riveting and enchanting splendor

Posted on June 4, 2022 by The Sleepless Critic

Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake will enchant you from the start.

Swan Lake has stood the test of time for generations and it is no mystery why. Seeped in regal splendor, Swan Lake is a visually-striking portrait of elegance and grandiosity similar to another one of Tchaikovsky’s classics, The Nutcracker. Both known for their iconic scores, mystical elements, and magnificent presentation, but Swan Lake’s sophisticated splendor, dark charm, intricate choreography and mirror image story of true love sets it apart from the rest. Like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake has a universal appeal and memorable qualities that even those who don’t care for ballet will still enjoy Swan Lake.

Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of Boston Ballet

With seamless musical-direction by Mischa Santora, Tchaikovsky’s majestic score navigates a classic tale of love, torment, betrayal, magic, and unbridled joy as Boston Ballet rises out of Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake continuing live and in person at the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 5. Swan Lake will then stream from the comfort of your home from June 9 through June 19. Performed in memory of John W. Humphrey, Swan Lake has returned to the Boston Opera House for the first time since Mikko Nissinen re-imagined the ballet in 2016. This four-act performance has one intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

Taking a mysterious and thrilling tone from the start, Swan Lake is a fanciful tale involving sought-after Prince Siegfried, portrayed with zest and charm by Patrick Yocum, who sets his sights on a flock of swans drifting over a misty and enchanted lake. Swan Queen Odette, portrayed with graceful fragility by Lia Cirio, catches his eye and it is love at first sight. It soon becomes clear that the swans were once women cursed by sorcerer Von Rothbart, depicted menacingly by Tyson Clark. Tyson Clark as Rothbart is an incredible and unpredictable force as he athletically and perilously tears through the mist as Prince Siegfried vows to set Odette free.

Golden-braided, ornate headpieces, flowing pastel garments, parasols, garlands, exquisitely feathered tutus and pristine crowns are just a glimpse into Robert Perdziola’s opulent and meticulously-detailed, handmade costumes that enrich the lush and picturesque royal garden setting as well as the haunting mirror image and mystical lake bathed in luminous blue moonlight by lighting designer Mark Stanley.

Marked by such precision, Mikko Nissinen’s choreography is ballet at its finest. Emily Entingh and Sage Humphries are visually-stunning rising gracefully and beautifully fluttering out of the mist. A gathering of cygnets demonstrate perfect synchronicity as they glide in lithe, delicate strokes. The swans are ethereal and immaculate as they simultaneously rise exquisitely out of a swallowing mist. It still stands as one of the beautiful displays of ballet I have ever seen.

Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; photo by Gene Schiavone, courtesy of Boston Ballet

In the castle gardens, dancers whimsically join together in a feast dance with goblets and joyfully present the prince with rich garlands. While the castle garden depicts almost a dreamlike setting, an equally opulent ballroom with vast ceilings lit in red later depict a livelier setting as a grand and dynamic lineup of guests gather to charm the kingdom including princesses, czardas, and Neapolitans.

Patrick Yocum is impressive as Prince Siegfried as he evokes loneliness and melancholy in an emotive and carefully-executed variation and then later in a flawless and joyful dance as if floating across the stage. Light and dark in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is demonstrated impeccably in Lia Cirio in a complex, dual role. As guarded Odette, her every move diligent and yet her statuesque beauty and downcast demeanor enrich her mysterious and powerful presence. Tingling violin resonates in Tchaikovsky’s emotive score as Cirio and Yocum share a hesitant and sweet encounter. He tenderly lifts and comforts her at every turn. Cirio can craftily engage an audience and masters her dual role as mysterious and confident Odile. That striking look she gives reminded me of the fire she brought to her 2020 performance in Boston Ballet’s Carmen. Cirio’s cunning smile and playful charisma gleam as Yocum takes her hand playfully and yet, almost possessively in a spellbinding and exhilarating dance.

Swan Lake is such a haunting and beloved tale of tender grace and arduous passion that, like The Nutcracker, it has been adapted in various forms for stage and screen over the years including Darren Aronofsky’s Academy award-winning Black Swan. Mikko Nissinen has adjusted a few scenarios in Swan Lake since its re-imagining in 2016, but only for its betterment to create an even more thrilling, illuminative and memorable experience.

Mikko Nissenen’s Swan Lake continues live and in person at the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 5. Swan Lake will then stream from the comfort of your home from June 9 through June 19. Click here for more information and tickets.

REVIEW: Boston Ballet’s immersive and uplifting ‘BB@yourhome: Look Back Focus Forward’ offers rare performances and more

Posted on January 29, 2021 by The Sleepless Critic

The Boston Ballet launched their first virtual production of the year with an optimistic look at 2021 featuring a selection of rarely performed past performances, an exclusive look back at the Boston Ballet on tour, and where they go from here with a sneak peek into a new project scheduled for April 2021.

Boston Ballet’s virtual program, BB@yourhome: Look Back Focus Forward continues through Sunday, January 31. Click here for more information and how to access this lighthearted and immersive program.

Derek Dunn in Leonid Yakobson’s Vestris Photo by Rachel Neville Photography; courtesy of Boston Ballet

Opening the program is Derek Dunn, who has a history of wonderful performances including The Nutcracker, Helen Pickett’s Petal and Genius at Play. After an insightful introduction from Boston Ballet’s Artistic Director Mikko Nissenen and Executive Director Max Hodges, He took on a monumental solo dance demonstrating humor, tension, and a wide range of emotions as Auguste in Leonid Yakobson’s rarely performed Vestris. In a powered wig and meticulously-detailed Founders garment by Robert Perdziola, Dunn is madcap and witty to a rousing applause, taking on a dance that Mikhail Baryshnikov immortalized. A particular highlight was a moment of subtle humor as Dunn leans forward and hesitates like a novice dancer, just learning his steps.

Leonid Yakobson’s Pas de Quatre takes on a lighthearted and fanciful tone as Ji Young Chae, Ekaterine Chubinidze, Maria Baranova, and Nina Matiashvili unite as one in a circular dance adorned in flower crowns and flowing, pristine and romantic tutus. This is another rarely performed piece that demonstrates a sisterhood between this quartet. To a poignant score featuring selections from Norma and picturesque staging by Vera Solovyeva and Nikolay Levitsky, the dancers each showcase their own unique talents and much of it is lively, elegant, and charming.

Corina Gill and Issac Akiba in Leonid Yakobson’s Rodin; photo by Rachel Neville Photography; courtesy of Boston Ballet

Love takes many shapes in Leonid Yakobson’s Rodin in three parts. It explores each stage of love from first glimpse to passion and it is captivating to see each part come to life. Sun Woo Lee and Abigail Merlis have playful chemistry as they lean into each other and Abigail smiles as he attempts a kiss. To Debussy’s classic score, Clair de Lune, Maria Alvarez and Alec Roberts depict the sweet joy and rapture of love as they move in unison in shyness and jubilance. Another highlight was Emily Entingh as she leans back into Michael Ryan and he lifts her up in admiration.

Look Back Focus Forward also reveals exclusive touring footage and Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissenen and principal dancer Lia Cirio share in depth the Boston Ballet’s most exciting and extraordinary experiences on tour and the significance in touring once again. One of their favorite experiences was premiering Jiri Kylian’s controversial Bella Figura at Lincoln Center in New York City for the Boston Ballet’s 50^th anniversary. Bella Figura is best witnessed to fully take in its daring, haunting, and mysterious subtlety.

Rie Ichikawa in Jiri Kylian’s Bella Figura; photo by Gene Schiavone; courtesy of Boston Ballet

The Boston Ballet also offers a sneak peek into an entirely new and innovative virtual production helmed by renowned international choreographer Ken Ossola that will soon premiere in April 15-25 2021.

BB@yourhome’s Look Back Focus Forward continues streaming through Sunday, January 31. Click here for more information and tickets. The Boston Ballet celebrates the work of Jorma Elo in February. Click here to see the BB@yourhome’s entire virtual schedule.

Artistic Director and founder Tony Williams describes how ‘Urban Nutcracker’ became a hit

Posted on December 11, 2019 by The Sleepless Critic

What if the spirit of Boston as well as hip hop, tap, Mexican folk dance, flamenco, swing dancing and more were weaved into Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday classic, The Nutcracker? Celebrating its 19^th anniversary, The City Ballet of Boston (CBB) presents Tony Williams’ family friendly Urban Nutcracker from Thursday, December 19 through Saturday, December 28 at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and tickets. Click here for a sneak peek at the show.

Tony Williams, acclaimed choreographer, founder, and Artistic Director of the Urban Nutcracker and the Tony Williams Dance Center, talks about Urban Nutcracker’s humble beginnings and how it has evolved to become the hit it is today while every year featuring something new.

Founder and Artistic Director of Urban Nutcracker Tony Williams Photo courtesy of Tony Williams/City Ballet of Boston

Sleepless Critic: What I love about Urban Nutcracker is while the traditional Nutcracker is rooted in fantasy, the heart of the Urban Nutcracker is in Boston and its history. What inspired this concept?

Tony Williams: I was raised in Boston and danced in the premiere of the first major professional production of Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker conducted by famed conductor of the Boston Pops Arthur Fiedler in 1965. I danced in the traditional Nutcracker for many years and when I stopped, I still performed large and smaller productions in and around Boston.

About 20 years ago, I started my dance school in Jamaica Plain. I had two male African American dancers working for me teaching tap and hip hop. In my school’s first year of enrollment, I had about 20 boys which is a huge amount of boys than in most dance schools. I had the makings of a youth cast for a production and wanted to showcase the kids, but most of the boys came for tap and hip hop where I was teaching ballet.

I thought about putting on The Nutcracker and the parents can be involved and bring their kids. With so many traditional Nutcrackers out there, maybe we can create an urban contemporary Nutcracker with hip hop, tap, and ballet incorporating our hip hop teacher Ricardo Foster and tap teacher Khalid Hill.

Coincidentally around that time, I came across Duke Ellington’s jazzy, big band Nutcracker Suite. I can use that and mix in the traditional Nutcracker like a soup and hope it turns out right. A smaller dance troupe also performed a Nutcracker in New York City around that time. Their background was in New York City and they based the show in Central Park. I decided to freshen up this old classic chestnut, The Nutcracker, and put it in present day Boston.

Sneak Peek of the Urban Nutcracker at this year’s Boston Tree Lighting in the Boston Common Photo courtesy of Tony Williams/City Ballet of Boston

SC: It has been very successful because I believe next year will be Urban Nutcracker’s 20^th anniversary in 2020.

TW: It’s amazing we’ve succeeded all of these years. We evolve, tweak, and polish the show every year and it’s a challenge financially to pull it all together. The first year we were on a shoestring budget.

People have supported the show all of these years and I feel fortunate it is still around. Not so much for my personal ego, but for the opportunity to have it for the City of Boston. You don’t have to know Boston in order to like the show but if you do, you will have more of a connection to it.

SC: You feature some traditional and international roots in the Urban Nutcracker such as The Russian Dance.

TW: We have the Russian Dance which we call Caviar Caper, the Arabian Dance we call Desert Chiffon, and the Chinese or Tea Dance which we call Ginseng Brise. Brise is the French word for a dance step in ballet.

This year, we have a major addition to Act II and one of the divertissements will be based on the story, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey from 1941. We introduced ducks in the snow scene in the past and it didn’t quite fit. This year we are calling it Mrs. Mallard and her Duckling Delights with a tap dancing policeman and Mother Duck will dance on Pointe. The cute baby ducks have their own dance which the kids will love.

We’re doing a new Russian dance with two couples and many more surprises!

Urban Nutcracker cast Photo courtesy of Tony Williams/City Ballet of Boston

SC: How did this become a tradition? The reception must have been extraordinary that first year.

TW: The first year we were trying to introduce this new creation was right after 911 and the whole world was in a depression. A friend of mine told me it wasn’t the time to do this kind of show and I thought about that.

I was sad about what had happened, but working with the young kids brought about a rebirth of hope and I continue the show because of them. We did three sold out performances the first year at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester.

I was so nervous that first night and had no idea how it would be received. We had no money or advertisements except a great story in the Globe. From the opening dance in the prologue right before the story line began, the dancers and musicians in Downtown Crossing and Quincy Market danced outside with their hats out for donations. The ovation was so loud and that’s when we knew we had something.

SC: I understand that the show features The City Ballet of Boston. Is that your troupe?

TW: It used to be the Tony Williams Ballet Company, but last year it evolved into the non-profit City Ballet of Boston. The core group is comprised of eight cohesive adult professional dancers that have been with me for the second year. It is expected we have top notch professional dancers at the Shubert Theatre which is partly why I did that with the company. I call it City Ballet of Boston because we are proud of Boston. Hopefully, when I am no longer around, The CBB will be able to produce this show for generations to come.

A woman who happens to work at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre came for the first time last year and brought her three year old daughter while her husband was away on business. Her parents were visiting from Chicago and the four of them came to the show. She told me afterwards she really enjoyed the show, but was struck that her daughter, father, and mother were so raptly attentive to the show as well. Each generation enjoyed it!

SC: What are your future plans?

TW: We have the family production, Peter and the Wolf from April 29 to May 2, 2020 at the Calderwood Pavilion. We’ve been doing some classical and contemporary pieces and it will be something for everybody.

SC: You tend to mix contemporary with traditional dance.

TW: I do it because it is intriguing creatively, artistically, and it’s fun to work that way.

SC: That way you can keep surprising people with your work.

TW: I need to do something fresh not only for the audience and the dancers, but I get a charge out of that too.

Urban Nutcracker returns to the Boch Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts from Thursday, December 19 through Saturday, December 28. Click here for more information, tickets, and learn more about Tony Williams and his work.

Boston Ballet presents the North American debut of emotionally-charged ‘Obsidian Tear’

Posted on November 1, 2017 by The Sleepless Critic

In a season filled with extraordinary contemporary and classic performances, the Boston Ballet continues its 2017-18 season with the debut of Obsidian Tear. Choreographed by Wayne McGregor, The Boston Ballet takes on a gripping exploration of raw human emotion as Obsidian Tear makes its North American debut from Friday, November 3 through Sunday, November 12. Co-produced with the Royal Ballet, full of athletic grace, and inspired by poetry by Esa Pekka Salonen, Obsidian Tear depicts the powerful impact emotion makes on society, in all of its extremes. The second half of the show features the world premiere of Fifth Symphony of Jean Sibelius, choreographed by Jorma Elo.

RoyalBallet Artist CalvinRichardson_Wayne McGregor's Obsidian Tear

Royal Ballet Artist Calvin Richardson in Wayne McGregor’s Obsidian Tear; photo by Andrej Uspenski, courtesy The Royal Ballet

The Boston Ballet concludes 2017 with the triumphant return of Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday classic, Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker from Friday, November 24 through Sunday, December 31. Starting in March 2018, The Boston Ballet mixes the classic with the contemporary with Parts in Suite, combining the imagination of esteemed choreographers William Forsythe, Justin Peck, and Jorma Elo from Friday, March 9 through Saturday, April 7, 2018. Two crowd pleasing romantic classics take the stage with Romeo and Juliet from Thursday, March 15 through Sunday, April 8 and Sleeping Beauty from Friday, May 11 through Saturday, May 19. Explore beauty and the pursuit of everlasting love with Classic Balanchine from Thursday, May 17 through Saturday, June 9 and La Sylphide from Thursday, May 24 through Sunday, June 10.

Royal Ballet Artist Calvin Richardson in Wayne McGregor’s Obsidian Tear; photo by Andrej Uspenski, courtesy The Royal Ballet

Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Edward Watson and Soloist Eric Underwood in Wayne McGregor’s Obsidian Tear; photo by Andrej Uspenski, courtesy The Royal Ballet

Royal Ballet Soloist Matthew Ball in Wayne McGregor’s Obsidian Tear; photo by Andrej Uspenski, courtesy The Royal Ballet

Click here for tickets, call 617-695-6955, or visit the Boston Ballet box office at 19 Clarendon Street in Boston, Massachusetts. All performances are held at the Boston Opera House, 539 Washington Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Subscriptions and group rates are also available. Follow the Boston Ballet on Facebook and Twitter.