Also this issue: A Moment Like This City Paper's arts writers weigh in on the best of 2002. -Janet Anderson, Debra Auspitz, Peter Burwasser, D.A, D.A.F, D.W, Juliet Fletcher, David Anthony Fox, Lori Hill, J.A, Deni Kasrel, R.R, Robin Rice, David Shengold, David Warner and Toby Zinman The Full Monty -Toby Zinman Artsbeat -Debra Auspitz Peter Pan and Wendy -David Anthony Fox Reading Backwards Our book reviewers point out the year's bright spots. -Andrew Ervin, Juliet Fletcher, Frank Halperin, Brian Howard, Elisa Ludwig, Andrew Milner and Alex Richmond

December 25-31, 2002

dance

The Nutcracker

by Janet Anderson

It's not quite as much a local tradition as the Mummers Parade, but the Pennsylvania Ballet's annual Nutcracker comes very close and for some is, probably, just as incomprehensible. A holiday ballet? Packing the big Academy of Music? Yes, indeed, every year since 1968. The PAB holiday strutters are adorable non-professional children performing their hearts out, and the pros who execute grand style ballet -- all to Tchaikovsky's sumptuous score. Plus this holiday fable has just enough weird characters (Who is Drosselmeier anyway?) and magic transformations (nutcrackers become princes) to keep even the youngest audience member wide-eyed.

As befits a local theater tradition, PAB's Nut proceeds with the well-oiled precision of a long-running Broadway musical. The children are so thoroughly schooled for their parts that sometimes it isn't clear who are the non-pros (usually the shorter ones are kids, but not always.) The youngsters are serious performers, contributing moments of real theater as well as endless charm. At the performance I saw,10-year-old Ryan Merlini pantomimed his battle to defeat the Mouse King with the earnestness of a Shakespearean, earning laughter and applause.

Laced into the big show are some of PAB's best dancers, shifting roles in every performance. It was a pleasure to see Principal Dancer Alexei Borovik so adept in the character role of Drosselmeier, flapping his cape and shaking his finger at the children. Meanwhile, somewhere under one of the funny mouse costumes, Alexei's daughter Alisa performed that night.

In the grand ballet stuff, Arantxa Ochoa as the Sugar Plum Fairy showed off her razor-sharp technique -- all long legs, high extensions and effortless balance. Other standouts included Francis Veyette in the Chinese variation -- this guy can really jump. Riolama Lorenzo, she of the almost unbelievably flexible body line, was the slinky, sexy (yes, even in The Nutcracker) Coffee. And Amy Aldridge performed Dew Drop with bravura precision.

But The Nutcracker really is about the children, who do everything from tumbling out from under the hoop skirt of Mother Ginger (a very good Alexei Charov, who'd been Dad in Act 1) to chasing each other in the party scene or prancing around as candy canes. Out in the audience, a few of the youngsters got restless, some fell asleep to Tchaikovsky, but most were there at the end standing in the aisles or draped over the seat in front of them, open-mouthed, cheering -- with visions of ballet careers dancing in their heads. --Janet Anderson

The Nutcracker, Through Dec. 31, Academy of Music, Broad and Locust sts., 215-893-1999