Festive favourite The Nutcracker makes a welcome return this month, brought to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage by Birmingham Royal Ballet. A mainstay of Christmas programming at the Hippodrome since being gifted to the city by Sir Peter Wright in 1990, the production continues to inspire audiences with the spirit of the season. Take a look behind the magic, and find out more about this Christmas classic, with our round-up of fascinating facts and figures...

Making History
The Nutcracker was first performed in 1892, featuring music by Tchaikovsky and a story based on a fairytale called The Nutcracker And The Mouse King by ETA Hoffmann.

Thanks to its festive setting and fantastical story, which continue to delight audiences of all ages, it has since become a staple of the Christmas period around the world.

Sir Peter Wright created a new production of The Nutcracker in 1984, to be performed by the Royal Ballet. When the Sadler Wells Royal Ballet moved to Birmingham in 1990 - becoming Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), with Sir Peter at the helm - he staged a new version of the production. Making numerous departures from the 1892 original, the show leans into the magic and wonder of the journey that’s undertaken by the story’s 15-year-old protagonist, Clara.

The Nutcracker has since become a firm festive favourite with Midlands ballet fans, performed by Birmingham’s very own company, accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and set against the sumptuous backdrop of John Macfarlane’s design.

Light and Shade
While the warm, festive feeling of The Nutcracker undoubtedly adds to its enduring charm and popularity, the show contains moments of darkness, too.

From the uncanny battle with the Rat King, to the unknown powers of the magician Drosselmeyer, and even the slightly eerie music which accompanies the Sugar Plum Fairy, protagonist Clara encounters plenty of sinister strangeness on her travels, as well as many magical wonders.

A Christmas Classic
Set at that magical moment when the clock strikes midnight to welcome in Christmas Day, it’s no surprise that The Nutcracker has become synonymous with the season. The spectacle is undeniably festive, featuring swirling snowflakes, sweet treats, treasured gifts, and of course a magnificent Christmas tree, which grows in size before the audience’s very eyes.

Accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s evocative score, The Nutcracker remains one of the very best ways to harness the spirit of the festive season.

Lasting Legacy
First staged by Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1990, The Nutcracker has since become a much-loved addition to the Midlands’ cultural calendar, the magical production regularly welcoming audience members of all ages. Those who saw the show as children now revisit the experience with their own children and grandchildren, making it a real family affair.

Who's Who in BRB's The Nutcracker
Clara
Fifteen-year-old Clara is training to be a dancer - just like her mother, who is a former ballerina. On Christmas Eve, Clara is strangely drawn to one of her gifts - a Nutcracker toy, which magically mends itself after being broken by her brother.

On the stroke of midnight, as Clara is searching for the Nutcracker, something strange happens: the world seems to grow enormous around her, and she finds herself embarking on a magical adventure.
Clara flies to a dream-like land, helps to defeat the villainous Rat King, and joins in the dancing...

Drosselmeyer
Drosselmeyer is a magician, invited to the Christmas Eve party at Clara’s house by her parents, to provide entertainment. He brings gifts for the children, including the Nutcracker doll.

Drosselmeyer conjures up a magical land, which Clara visits, flying through the clouds on the back of a white goose. Another altercation with the Rat King ensues, but he is defeated by the Nutcracker Prince and Drosselmeyer, who arranges a grand celebration in Clara’s honour.

The Nutcracker
Given to Clara as a Christmas gift, the Nutcracker begins the story as a doll but then comes to life, accompanied by an army of toy soldiers. They are soon set upon by a swarm of giant rats - led by their king - who attack Clara.

The Nutcracker is about to be overpowered by the Rat King, when Clara intervenes, but he falls down, exhausted. Clara tries to revive him, and he comes back to life - just as he was magically mended when he was merely a toy.

To Clara’s amazement, the Nutcracker turns into a handsome prince and they dance together.

The Sugar Plum Fairy
As the celebrations begin in Drosselmeyer’s fantasy world, dancers from many different lands come together. Clara joins in and - in this version of the story - is finally transformed into the ballerina of her dreams: The Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy is one of the most iconic musical moments in Tchaikovsky’s score, utilising the bell-like sounds of the orchestra’s celeste.

The Sugar Plum Fairy dances alone, before being joined by the Nutcracker Prince, as Clara’s adventure comes to an end...

The Nutcracker By Numbers
To date, The Nutcracker has been performed 669 times at Birmingham Hippodrome.

The production features 118 different character roles, performed by the Company's 63 dancers.

The flying goose that transports Clara travels 20 metres across the stage every performance. Since 1990, the goose has flown more than 8 miles at Birmingham Hippodrome.

5 set changes transport the audience through the story, while more than 200 people work on- and off-stage each year to bring The Nutcracker to life.

The Christmas tree is 3.7 metres tall at first, then grows to an impressive 7.5 metres.

Approximately 1 tonne of dry ice and 75 kilograms of artificial snow is used during the production.

Clara has approximately 1 minute to change from her day dress into her nightdress during Act One. 2 members of BRB's costume team assist with this quick change.

Each performance involves 61 musicians and 12 singers.

Dancers across the company will use more than 350 pairs of pointe shoes during the run’s 20 performances.

Tchaikovsky's famous score requires more than 20 types of instrument, including the celeste, whose magical sound is synonymous with Christmas.

BRB’s The Nutcracker shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Friday 20 November to Saturday 12 December Visit brb.org.uk for further information and tickets

By Jessica Clixby