Fact Sheet
 Matthew
 New
Bourne
Adventures
 August
1992
 Contemporary
 Exaggerated
and Balletic
but realistic use of gestures
Choreographic Style –
is it serious, funny? What was
it influenced by? Has the
music and dance got a close
relationship?
•A reworking of a traditional
ballet
•Narrative and comic
•Influenced by theatre and
film
•Close relationship between
the dance and music
In all versions of The Nutcracker Clara falls in
love. In Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker! Clara has
a crush on the boy Nutcracker. Some of the
orphans make fun of her. When she is given her
toy, the Nutcracker soldier, she is distraught
when he is locked away and tries to get him out.
When the cupboard doors fly open her
Nutcracker is now a full-size puppet. He helps
the orphans escape and when Clara is left alone
he reveals himself to be a human young man.
 They travel together to the Frozen Lake but it is here
that Princess Sugar wants him for herself. Clara follows
them to Sweetieland and is accompanied by her two
friends the twins who are now cupids and after many
failed attempts Clara and her Nutcracker are finally
reunited back in the Orphanage where they escape
together.

 Clara
is forced to fend for herself after she
has been deserted by Nutcracker, she is
befriended by the two cupids who guide her
but it is only she who can make things
actually happen.
 Clara
leaves the safety of the Orphanage and
visits two different worlds, the Frozen Lake
and Sweetieland. She meets characters she
could only dream of.
 The
magical worlds in the Nutcracker have
sometimes been portrayed as dreams and
sometimes we are led to believe it may well
have been a reality. In Matthew Bourne’s
Nutcracker! Clara dreams about a world a
million miles away from her home at the
Orphanage.
 The
Classical Ballet – Nutcracker
 Same
Music
 Images
of a Victorian Childhood
 Two
Acts with 9 Episodes
 Cast
of 24 Dancers

Name of Composer- Tchikovsky

Composed in 1892 for original Ivanov Ballet. The music
belongs to the Romantic period. The most recognisable
pieces of music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet are the Dance of
the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Trepak (Russian dance) and The
Waltz of the Flowers.

He also uses toy instruments during the Christmas Party
scene. Tchaikovsky’s score is extremely engaging and the
music tells amazing stories with wonderful melodies.

Sound helps to create the atmosphere of the production. In
particular additional sound effects are used when the
orphans receive their toys. When Fritz plays with his toy
gun additional sound effects are used to create a bigger
sound and more dramatic effect.
Name of Costume Designer –
 Anthony Ward

From the grey smocks and shorts of the
orphanage to the all-white ice-skating attire, the
costumes enhance every moment of the story.
 In Sweetieland the costumes are extremely
important as this informs the audience of what
sweetie each dancer represents. Colourful and
over the top to show characters. Cultural
influences and literal references to sweets

 Name
of lighting designer – Howard Harrison
 Theatrical,
 Lighting
helps to create atmosphere
and colour play a significant role in
expressing the different worlds, indicating a
change of world similar to the use of black
and white and colour in The Wizard of Oz.

Name of Set Designer – Anthony Ward
Partially realistic but larger than life and almost
cartoon like. Scene 1 is an austere, drab
orphanage with iron beds. There is an interval
scene on a frozen lake and scene 2, entered
through a large mouth, represents Sweetieland –
complete with a massive three tier wedding
cake.
 The designer, Anthony Ward worked with
Matthew Bourne to create two contrasting
worlds. The first world is Christmas Eve in an
Orphanage and the second world is one of
dreams and fantasy.



The production opens in a dilapidated Orphanage, it is a
large grey room with an imposing clock that watches every
move that the orphans make. It is unwelcoming with
cracking plaster on every wall. The misshapen furniture
looms over the orphans as they dance and clean the nooks
and crannies. When the Nutcracker comes to life the room
starts to crack, the walls begin to split open, and the
Christmas tree from the earlier celebration grows to an
enormous height. The orphans then escape through the
cracks to another world.
The next world we enter is a magical frozen lake where
the Snowflakes scene from the traditional Nutcracker
becomes an ice-skating extravaganza. From here Act Two
opens in Sweetieland, where the backdrop is now a glitterlipped mouth, providing the entrance to Sweetieland
itself. The highlight of Act Two is the wedding cake upon
which all the characters dance and eat, slurp and lick the
cake whilst dancing upon and around each of the threetiers. It is an entirely fantastical set and one that conjures
up images of candy-canes and Christmas sugar delights.
 Proscenium