Last night my sister and I decided last minute to go and watch The Nutcracker in a bid to get us feeling festive. Our local theatre in Milford Haven was showing it in a live broadcast from the Royal Opera House. I have never seen a ballet before so didn't really know what to expect.
Before the show started there was a pre recorded piece which gave us a unique insight into rehearsals, something people in the actual Royal Opera House didn't see. Then one of the main characters gave us a summary of what was about to happen on stage.
Then the lights in the Opera went down and tbe Orchestra began. The sound in the theatre was fantastic, it felt like we were really there among the action.
I won't go over the plot but the first half was fun, energetic and exciting. The Christmas tree looked spectacular, we had heard about the Christmas tree in the pre show recording and it didn't disapoint.
Then came the interval in which we were encouraged to tweet our thoughts with a unique#ROHNutcracker. Some tweets were then put up on screen for us too read. Then came another short recording with the lovely Gary Avis who played Herr Drosselmeyer in which he should us how some of the tricks and illusions were created on stage. Then it was on with the show and once again we were given a brief summary about what we were about to see.
The second half was magical! The set was stunning, the costumes dazzling, the music captivating and the ballet was mesmerising! I didn't realise just how many pieces of music from the ballet I had heard before! The Orchestra held our ears and the cast held our eyes as they danced their hearts out for us. For me the dance between the sugar plum fairy and the prince was the performance of the night, it literally took my breath away and it got a well deserved round of applause from our theatre.
I enjoyed it far more than I could have imagined even though it was a broadcast and I would definitely go and watch another. We live so far away from London that it would cost far too much time and money for me to go and watch something like this, as I'm sure is the case for a lot of the country so this is a great comprise.
Well done to everyone involved with the show and everyone at the Torch Theatre Pembrokeshire for making it such an enjoyable evening.
