The Nutcracker Reviews

Jennifer Lawson from Memphis, Tennessee

THE NUTCRACKER

I have to say The Orchestra sounded exquisite. I enjoyed listening to the angelic voices as well. My second mention is to the Arabian Couple (Virginia Ramey & Steven McMahon). Sensually seductive flow throughout their performance had me on the edge wanting more. I hope to see more from these two. My third mention to such a graceful Clara (Hideko Karasawa). You dance beautifully. I look forward to you in many more productions from the Ballet of Memphis. The Nutcracker (John Deming). I had to mention you with Clara & rightly so. The elegant gracefulness becoming The Prince was enough of a stand & applause right then and there. My fourth mention The Russians (Brandon Ramey, Jared Brunson, James Vessel) Amazingly tantalizing power jumps sheer power of this group of men.My fifth mention Last but for sure not least, The Sugar Plum Fairy (Crystal Brothers). To your stage presence delicately graceful . I'm not sure if I heard your toe shoes tap the floor once. Eloquently exquisite.

Lucas Hughes from Oxford, Memphis

WHAT HAPPENED?

Last night was our fifth annual Nutcracker (2023) viewing at the Orpheum. It used to be classy and was true to the original but it seems they took out all the culture (like the Russian isn’t Russian the Arabian dance isn’t really Arabian anymore, Chinese aren’t presented, etc..). When the show first opens up it doesn’t even take place in a house anymore. They are at the “Memphis River Market”. Who hangs out at the market late at a night? The whole show lost its culture in favor of a candy theme and the dances weren’t the classical dances Nutcracker is known for (like the Russian who’s suppose to do high kicking and roll flips…where was that Memphis?). This year was the WORST presentation of The Nutcracker we have seen. I can keep going (like the guy vaping marijuana behind us) but I’m running out of characters for this review. Next year we will be continuing our annual tradition watching it elsewhere which really disappoints us. The orchestra did great though!

Ann from Oxford

CHANGE IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD

We have been to The Nutcracker every year for as long as I can remember. Not always in Memphis but the past several years have been at the Orpheum in Memphis. This year was extremely disappointing. The orchestra was wonderful, as always, but the change in the story line was not for the better. It took place in a market by the river, very strange. All of the dancers were great with the exception of the Russian dancers, their dancing lacked panache and was basically boring. In the past it’s been my absolute favorite because the dancers are so upbeat and their moves are in line with the music. I hope Memphis will bring back the original storyline next year.

LA Ken from Memphis, Tennessee

CHRISTMAS DISAPPOINTMENT

The Nutcracker performance retooled by Ballet Memphis was a terrible disappointment to my daughter and me. Without the classic context of the story, the scenes ranged from uninteresting to chaotic to ridiculous. Losing the glamorous holiday party and its story for a trip to the market created an environment that was neither charming nor intelligible. The switching of the exotic and fun cultural dances for the silly candy dances was a boring mistake. And the male snow flakes - along with other unappealing costume “updates” - were almost laughable. As ever, the dancers delivered impeccable performances, though in many cases, the dances were cut short. And if anyone thought the elaborate scenery from Act II lifted the production, he or she would be sadly mistaken. The “niftier” background did little to lift this abysmal experiment. If this is the way forward for Ballet Memphis and their Nutcracker, my daughter and I will definitely look for a traveling show featuring the real thing in Memphis or another town. I have been taking my daughter to the Ballet Memphis Nutcracker since she was eight, almost ten years. When she read the program and realized the show we’d been longing for was not to be, I knew she was fighting back the tears. This Nutcracker was no longer a highlight of our Christmas season.

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