Over the past couple of years, it has become somewhat of an annual tradition for me to take the short journey to the Western studio and the Wales Millennium Centre to watch a queer-infused re-telling of some of the most iconic Christmas classics to ever exist. The last three Christmases saw Polly Amorous and the team take over the venue with their unique version of festive stories (the most recent of which is the first xxxmas which you can read about at https://getthechance.wales/2023/12/23/review-the-first-xxxmas-by-rhys-payne/) but the team working on this year’s project took a much more classically theatrical twist! As the name would suggest this iteration of The Nutcracker players homage to the iconic two-act ballet of the same name and I have to admit this is not a show I am particularly familiar with and so it did take me a little longer to pick on some of the nods and reference to the original show.
Production Images Kirsten McTernan
The story explores the underground world of misunderstood creatures as they highlight their skills in the wonderfully eccentric “Le Crack” through a series of cabaret-style performances. I thought that it was particularly clever that the opening moments of the show showed the group of outcasts actually putting on the aforementioned cabaret performance for the audience as this beautifully blended the lines between the story and reality that totally made sense!
My favourite performance in this version of The Nutcracker however was the captivating Cadbur Parafit who took on the wonderfully iconic role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. From the very moment this performer stepped onto the stage, they instantly stole both the spotlight and the audience’s attention as they showcased an incredible burlesque-infused performance. The performer used every inch of the stage as they began peeling off layers of their gorgeous insanely regal, gorgeously pink outfit which the audience went absolutely wild for. The second half of this production, however, saw the sugar plum fairy fully embrace a more villainous perspective as she began to spout a series of homophobic/transphobic abuse at the budding couple of the Nutcracker and the Rat King. This transformation began with the character being shrouded by towering curtains (which later magically cascaded down to the floor to reveal her new outfit) above the stage as she donned her Margret Thatcher-inspired suit/hair as she began spouting transphobic/homophobic abuse at the new coupling of the Nutcracker and the Rat King which was clearly a reference to the section 28 laws passed during Thatcher’s leadership. This then transformed into a performance of a performance of “Just Don’t be Gay” which was a comedic, cabaret-centric number that exposed the character’s bigoted views and also contained buckets loads of audience participation as the sugar plum fairy had key audience members reciting the straight creed of loving fixing cars, top gear and cigars. Despite being the character which the audience was encouraged to hate and boo, but I could not help myself being totally transfixed every time this character took to the stage!
Just over a year ago, we were introduced to the incredible Diomede at the first every Hell Haus event (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/10/23/hell-haus-production-review/) where we were totally transfixed by their incredible lip-synch talents but I was not aware how much of an all-round musical performer they are! Diomede was announced as the titular role in this queer-adaptation of the classic Nutcracker, and they were instrumental in helping invite immense amounts of sympathy from the audience. As an innocent character brought into this underground world of cabaret, The Nutcracker is not aware of all the things that go on at Le Crack or the lives of the creatures underground and so seeing this character go from being totally unaware to becoming a victim of the oppression was very powerful! There was a hilarious sequence later in the show where Diomede was forced into a physical box after confessing their attraction towards The Rat King (captured wonderfully by Len Blanco) to her master the Sugar Plum Fairy which led to a series of hilarious events where this performer trying to encourage a romantic moment while being stuck inside the box and also reciting the “straight man” mantra introduced by the sugar plumb fairy which had the audience in hysterics throughout!
In terms of individual performances, however, there was one member of the cast who clearly used this production to showcase their immense array of talents. Before ‘the cast of Le Crack’ could take to the stage the audience was greeted by Heledd Watkins as the world’s first dominatrix cockroach who helped to introduce “Le Crack” and the rules of the evening (which was obviously very important at any event) with a series of Nessa-inspired interactions with the audience. Throughout this compare-style introduction, ‘Roach’ showcased their bilingual talents by sharing some of the information through the medium of Welsh which is obviously a fantastic inclusion. Later in the production Roach also showcased their musical talents but not only providing backing vocals for all the performers but also busting out a series of electric guitar solos which was insanely impressive!
Overall, Nutcracker: the alternative cabaret is a contemporary and entertaining twist on one of the most iconic ballets with a much-welcomed queer/cabaret style twist which allowed space for a series of mesmerising performances. As previously discussed, this is my first experience with The Nutcracker so I do believe that I may have missed some of the references to the original story, but the narrative itself was easy enough to understand. Despite being an extremely outlandish tale, the love story between the invading toy soldier and the king of the rats is particularly captivating and the added layer of queerness to the story makes it even more heartwarming. The audience was clearly immensely involved with the story as they appeared to erupt in thunderous applause or booming boos at key points in the story. I would rate this story 4 out of 5 stars!