Houston Ballet - The Nutcracker Reviews

Mary Curbello from Houston, Texas

NUTCRACKER 2023 HOUSTON BALLET

Wow, what a stunning production. I’ve seen the Nutcracker performed by other ballets and this was absolutely over the top. Tremendous performances and the most beautiful sets. The costumes were a delight to behold.I truly enjoyed myself and want to thank the performers for the Saturday December 23rd 7:30 performance for a wonderful Christmas gift.

R. Ruplinger from Houston, Texas

HOPELESSLY LOST

I'll start with the good. The music as always is outstanding. Set design and lighting are visually stunning, adding in subtleties that transport you to the set. In particular the tiled marley, the clock having arms to extend drosselmeyer's shadow, and some of the lighting effects highlighting the magic of the show On to the bad. Generally speaking the cadence of the show was completely lost. The flow of the story has been reduced to what feels like a series of still images rather than a plot. The choreography did not sync to music whatsoever - not sure if dancers missed their cues or was a combination of intentional changes but was a huge miss. A prime example of this was the snare drum during the battle. An actor was pretending to play the drum with zero sound from the orchestra. Then half a scene later the roles reversed and no one was on stage supporting thebsound. The snow queen just appeared. Little reference to climbing the tree. Pompous Welch didnt create the show in 2016.

Tracy Shannon from Houston, Texas

MAYBE IT IS POSSIBLE TO RUIN THE TIMELESS NUTCRACKER

Music was perfect. Set was beautiful in most scenes but not as nearly enchanting as in years past. There were large headed animals in some scenes that were strange and reminded me of furries. The dancing was not well synchronized and in some places dancers had a hard time keeping time w the music. Most costumes were great but the waltz of the flowers costumes were disappointing. A lot of movement by performers on stage was not in form of ballet and it was not interesting. This rendition of The Nutcracker has been my least favorite in 50 years. Not the spectacular ballet it can be. There was a bull costume that looked like a Baphomet. Scary. Bring back the dancing lady w the skirt that opens and the children come out dancing.

R. Peacock from Houston, Texas

A DISAPPOINTMENT

I have attended the Houston Ballet Nutcracker many times. I had attended before the Stanton Welch version many times and tagged it at 5 every time. The Stanton Welch version was a step down but still ok. I hadn't attended since COVID. Last night's version was pathetic the first half. There was no story line - it got lost in the the confusion. I didn't pay over $300 for tickets to see a bunch of apparent amateurs running around in mass. Way too many people and no focus. I thought I was at a play not a ballet. I didn't pay for you to reward the students with a role in what was supposed to be a professional performance. The second half was the opposite with great ballet and they were professional. If I could I would hand given you a 2.5. I'm not sure about next year. I may give it one more year but the first half will need to improve and have actual quality ballet in it .

Carol E. from Houston, Texas

VERY WEIRD AND DISAPPOINTING

It is frustratingly bizarre. My jaw dropped because of how silly the newly incorporated characters were. Mother Ginger is replaced by what I think was a car engine, there was a frog dancing like a stripper, the staging was 1/100th of how it previously was, and there were performers in full body, head to toe, leotards with spiky ice crowns. I can't imagine what the directors were aiming for. The previous staging and performances prior to 2016 were timeless, beautiful, and comprehensive, I would not recommend going, and I will not go back.

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