The Nutcracker is a Christmas tale of a young girl whose eponymous present comes to life, but this Russian State Ballet of Siberia production felt more like Boxing Day leftovers.
Elena Pogorelaya as Marie was its saving grace: elegant, fluid and confident. Her solo pieces in the second act were a joy to watch.
Kirill Bulychev was a disappointing prince — fine in his solos but uncomfortable with his partner, ticking off each move as mechanically as the toy he was transformed from.
Anastasia Kazantseva, Margarita Nosik and Nadezhda Panfilova as the Spanish, Arabic and Russian dancers in Fairyland acquitted themselves admirably, but some of the corps work was clumsy.
They weren’t helped by the languorous orchestra and its absent-minded percussionist.
Christina Fyodorova’s costumes were saccharine enough, but the sets were bland and worn-looking.
The company is running three different ballets this week: spread too thinly and the cracks can start to show.
