I think the greatest pleasures might be the ones that take you by surprise. I went to see Matthew Bourne’s version of The Nutcracker last Saturday and it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I have to admit that I’m not normally a big ballet fan, although I’m full of admiration for the dancers. However, I had seen Matthew Bourne’s eccentric take on classical ballet before and was full of anticipation. I wasn’t disappointed.
Vaguely recalling that the ballet begins with a lavish Christmas party, I was surprised when the curtains opened to reveal a very sombre Victorian orphanage. At one point the functional metal beds were being pushed about the stage by the dancing orphans and I was reminded of Danny Boyle’s spectacularly unhinged opening ceremony from the 2012 Olympics.
I have vague memories of countless Mary Poppinses floating from the sky under their umbrellas, the Queen being collected by James Bond and then parachuting into the stadium and the chimney stacks of those dark satanic mills rising before our eyes. I think Voldemort was there too and possibly Mr Bean. I suspected that Matthew Bourne had also seen Danny Boyle’s extravaganza until I learned that his version of this ballet was created long before 2012 and thought maybe the debt was the other way round.
Back to the ballet – a large crack appears in the orphanage wall and we’re soon whisked off to the much jollier and more colourful Sweetieland. I thought that things couldn’t get any better than the wonderful dance of the louche Knickerbocker Glory, complete with moustache and whipped cream hair with a cherry on the top, and then the Flamenco Dancing Liquorice Allsorts appeared and my happiness was complete.
Naturally at this point my thoughts turned to Taryn De Vere dressed as a tin of Quality Street. Ms De Vere is a fashion designer who decided to dress up like a household object every day in January to give herself a challenge and brighten our lives in the process. It certainly looks a lot more fun than Adriene’s 30-Day Yoga Challenge. I can’t quite decide whether I like her most as a bottle of toilet cleaner, a tin of Quality Street or a Pot Noodle.
I think this might be what happens to your brain when you decide to spend January in a state of torpor. I definitely recommend it.