Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana brings forth Cuba’s family-centric, joyful community spirit into the classic tale of The Nutcracker, adapting it to depict the hardships of life in Havana under Castro within Tchaikovsky’s classic work. I arrived filled with excitement and intrigue, and I left Nutcracker in Havana in awe of the talent shown in the adaptation of such a classic tale.
The ease and effortlessness of the thematic and musical shifts should not be underplayed — Acosta’s effort to diversify and modernise the story is a true privilege to watch. Having the setting of Christmas in Havana allows a more stripped back and modern interpretation compared to traditional versions of the ballet, which feature ostentatious Victorian Christmas decorations. The dance between rats and soldiers stands out in terms of how it was adapted — the soldiers become Mambises from the Cuban War of Independence, which is clearly seen through their uniforms and dance adaptations. This inclusion is consistent with the rest of the contextual changes within the performance, and credit must go to Acosta for choreographing these changes.
The music is another aspect of the performance which marks it as unusual. Despite being limited due to it being a recording rather than a live accompaniment, some traditional Cuban musical elements are shown off in this performance. Pepe Gavilondo Peón and Yasel Muñoz — the composers and arrangers — use features such as an electric guitar and classic Cuban jazz motifs to fully bring Clara’s Havana to life.
Thalia Cardin gives a beautiful performance as Clara, although more awe and wonder embodied in her dancing would have given her character a slightly more youthful feel. Alexander Varona also gave a standout performance as Tío Elías Drosselmeyer (Clara and Fritz’s uncle in the original story), in conveying a classic performance alongside reflecting the extra colour and vivacity in this adaptation.
There were moments where the performances sat on the line between the appreciative and the exoticising, especially when all the toys are performing for Clara — the Arabian dance was slightly ‘othered’ through both the music and some elements of the choreography. Overall however, Nutcracker in Havana is a joy and spectacle to watch.
Image by Tristram Kenton, courtesy of Capital Theatres.