Royal Opera House Live: The Nutcracker Streams Free Tonight
Regarded as one of the best productions of The Nutcracker, The Royal Opera House mounting of the timeless ballet will be streaming tonight for free! Join Clara at a delightful Christmas Eve party that becomes a magical adventure once everyone else is tucked up in bed. Marvel at the brilliance of Tchaikovsky’s score, as Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker fight the Mouse King and visit the Sugar Plum Fairy in the glittering Kingdom of Sweets. Peter Wright’s much-loved production for The Royal Ballet, with gorgeous period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman, keeps true to the spirit of this festive ballet classic, combining the thrill of the fairy tale with spectacular dancing. The filmed production stars Miyako Yoshida (The Sugar Plum Fairy), Steven McRae (The Prince), Gary Avis (Herr Drosselmeyer), Iohna Loots (Clara), and Ricardo Cervera (Nephew / Nutcracker). The ballet will stream free today, December 24th, in select markets. A direct link to the stream has now been added to our now list of free musicals and plays. The international touring production of Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet and the stage production of the Hip Hope Nutcracker are both streaming for free this month as well. Looking for more holiday-themed shows? check out our list of the 7 Best Holiday Stage Musicals to Stream This Season. In his review for the Sunday Express, Neil Norman said: "One of the very best seasonal treats for children and adults alike, the Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker is a handsome, magical, thoroughly traditional rendering of ETA Hoffmann’s immortal if deeply strange story. There is a genuine sense of a living, breathing extended family on stage, reminiscent of Bergman’s majestic Fanny And Alexander, a comparison further enhanced by Drosselmayer’s magic tricks which send scarves flying, balls floating and Fritz rising into the air. Following the amazing transformation scene as the Christmas tree grows to fill the height of the stage, giving the illusion that Clara is shrinking like Alice, the shift to the Land Of Snow is anti-climactic, though the well-drilled Snowflakes deliver the goods in a flurry of falling snow."
