A Christmas curse, a mouse king, and enough tutus to make your head spin.
Sir Peter Wright’s 1984 version of The Nutcracker for The Royal Ballet, still performed by the Company, stays close to Hoffmann’s original tale. It emphasises Drosselmeyer’s mission to find a young girl – Clara – who can break the curse imposed by the Mouse King on his nephew Hans Peter and thus restore him to human form. References to Nuremberg and German Christmas traditions are present in the settings, with a kingdom of marzipan featured in Act 2.
Production
Sumptuous 1980s Royal Ballet staging
Costume
Tchaikovsky-era confectionery dream aesthetics
Acting
Lesley Collier's technically flawless Sugar Plum
Director
John Vernon
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Peter Wright's version restores Hoffmann's darker original ending where Clara wakes from a dream, unlike Balanchine's more ambiguous American version.
This 1985 film capture preserves the Royal Ballet's staging during the Thatcher era, making it a time capsule of British institutional culture.
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