Michael Coleman

Sir Peter Wright’s 1984 version of The Nutcracker for The Royal Ballet, still performed by the Company, stays close to Hoffmann’s original tale. It emphasises Drosselmeyer’s mission to find a young girl – Clara – who can break the curse imposed by the Mouse King on his nephew Hans Peter and thus restore him to human form. References to Nuremberg and German Christmas traditions are present in the settings, with a kingdom of marzipan featured in Act 2.

The Royal Ballet's 1980 production of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet.

"Handsomely staged, meticulously rehearsed and vividly danced" (The Spectator), English National Ballet's production of Kenneth MacMillan's ballet features compelling characters, larger than life scenes and pas de deux ranging from romantic to heartbreaking. The ballet's haunting score, by Jules Massenet, is played live by English National Ballet Philharmonic under the baton of Gavin Sutherland.