KIEV BALLET of the NATIONAL OPERA of UKRAINE

THE NUTCRACKER
Ballet-fairy tale in two acts
Music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Marius Petipa after E.T.A. Hoffman’s story
Choreography by Valery Kovtun after Marius Petipa
Set & Costume Design by Maria Levitskaya

Cast:
Shtalbaum Vladislav Ivashchenko

His Wife Liudmyla Melnik

Clara Olena Filippieva; Natalia Domracheva; Anastassia Matvienko

Fritz Olga Morozenko

Drosselmeyer Maxim Motkov

King of the Mouse Sergiy Lytvynenko

The Nutcracker
Doll Svitlana Mikliaieva

Prince Denys Matvienko; Sergiy Sydorsky;  Yaroslav Salenko

Colombina Kateryna Kuhar

Harlequin Vadym Burtan

Saracens Olga Kifyak, Viacheslav Stelmakh

The Dolls

Spanish Oksana Guliaieva, Oleksiy Kovalenko

Oriental Kateryna Kozachenko, Vladislav Ivashenko

Chinese Kateryna Kuhar, Vadym Burtan

Russian Mariia Tkalenko, Ruslan Bentsianov

Peasants Tetiana Lozova, Gennady Petrovsky

 

Synopsis

ACT I

Guests are arriving for Christmas Eve party at the Stahlbaum’s wealthy house. Drosselmeyer, the skilled clock and toy maker, arrives disguised with a mask and bring many presents, as well as puppets which  he uses to put on a puppet show.
He is always full of surprises and is believed to be a real wizard, so he is always the children’s favorite. The puppets Colombina, Harlequin and many Saracens dance in front of the young audience which excitedly approves of the performance. All the children in the house wait impatiently for the moment when the lights on the beautiful Christmas tree will be lit. Drosselmeyer removes the mask from his face and reveals his identity to the children. Clara and Fritz, Stahlbaum’s children ask him to give them one of the two life- size puppets, which were the main attraction of the party, but meantime the puppets have been taken away from the room. Drosselmeyer tries to calm the two children down and gives them other gifts. Clara receives a beautiful Nutcracker shaped like a toy soldier, which  Fritz grabs  from his sister’s hands and accidentally breaks. Clara tenderly caresses the broken Nutcracker and puts it to sleep in bed.

The guests dance, and as the evening grows late, leave the party. The Stahlbaum retire for the evening.

Nighttime.

                The room with the Christmas tree seems mysterious and enchanted. Clara   fights with her fear of the darkness and arrives to check on her beloved ”ill” Nutcracker. The girl looks at the clock and as it strikes midnight strange things begin to happen: the cuckoo in the clock turns into Drosselmeyer, who looks at the girl with evil eyes.
Many giant mice, led by the Mouse King, appear in the room at the wizard’s signal.
Clara    wants to run away, but she feels too feeble. She comes near the Christmas tree  and the mice disappear, but then the tree itself starts to grow high above her. Everything around her changes.. The toys around the tree come to life. Suddenly the mice and their King arrive again. The tin soldier raises the alarm. The brave Nutcracker awakens and courageously leads his army of toy soldiers into a battle Clara, seeing that her beloved toy     is in danger, grabs her shoe and throws it hitting the Mouse King. Scared, the mice run away and leave the Nutcracker lying on the floor. Clara approaches it and then a miracle happens: the Nutcracker turns into  a handsome youth, Prince Nutcracker. He looks thankfully at Clara.
 The room transforms into a winter forest wonderland where light snowflakes spin around in a miraculous dance. Clara and Prince Nutcracker are attracted by the star nestling the tree’s top as they would be attracted by to a wonderful dream. They sit in a fairy tale boat the set off on a journey to the Puppet’s Land.

ACT II 

Clara and Prince’s journey continues. They have nearly reached the top of the tree when the evil mice catch them again. The Nutcracker bravely starts to fight and wins. Clara and  the Prince find themselves in the Puppet’s Land. Twelve pages welcome them as they arrive. The Prince tells everyone about his adventures and how Clara managed to save his life. A big celebration starts in Clara and the Prince’s honor.

In the morning.

Christmas Eve is gone, as is Clara’s beautiful dream and the fairy tale wonderland. The girl is again at home, and toy nutcracker is in front of her.

 

Selected text translated and edited by Sergey Gordeev.

 

For Mary Lou:

December 13 – Denys Matvienko – Anastassia Matvienko
December 14 – Yaroslav Salenko – Natalia Domracheva
December 15 – Denys Matvienko – Olena Filipieva
December 16 – Yaroslav Salenko – Natalia Domracheva
December 17 – Sergiy Sydorsky – Olena Filipieva
December 17 – Denys Matvienko – Anastassia Matvienko
December 18 – Sergiy Sidorsky – Olena Filipieva