CHRISTMAS THEATRE
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CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION 7-31 DEC
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BRINGING BELOVED TALE THE NUTCRACKER BACK WITH A BANG, MIRIAM BALANESCU SPEAKS TO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE JUNCTION’S CHRISTMAS SHOW, SARAH BLANC
Dance is at the fore for Moxie Brawl. Despite the plethora of Christmas stories out there, this made The Nutcracker an obvious choice. “It already has a physical language,” explains Sarah. “People associate it with movement. Also, it’s the kind of story people only ever pay around £30 or £40 to see, it’s only ever in massive opera houses done by massive companies. What if we did a version that’s in Cambridge Junction – a really gorgeous, accessible venue that welcomes everybody?” Sarah’s version sets out to be thrillingly subversive, remedying the sometimes gendered tropes of the original, as well as turning other aspects on their head. “What’s the opposite of ballet? Punk!” Sarah laughs. With music from Quiet Boy, The Nutcracker will of course include Tchaikovsky’s much-adored suite, though it will be a cover unlike any you’ve heard before. Her previous show, Punk Alley , exposed Sarah to the transformative potential of the genre. “It really awoke something in me, the style of music, the freeness of it,” she recalls. From dancing on tables to morph suits and wigs – courtesy of designer Kat Heath – expect riotous fun. “I really hope kids find their voices in the show,” concludes Sarah.
Telling of a little girl, a magical doll and a kingdom of sentient mice, ETA Hoffmann’s 1816 The Nutcracker and the Mouse King has, over the decades, become a Christmas classic. Adapted most famously into Tchaikovsky’s ballet and more recently Matthew Bourne’s bubblegum-coloured expedition to Candyland, nearly 200 years of reworkings make for a tough act to follow. Taking on the tale for this year’s Christmas show at the Junction, Sarah Blanc and her dance theatre company Moxie Brawl are set to perform a rollicking, riotous performance. “Our journey into Candyland goes down as more of an East London on a Saturday night kind of vibe,” Sarah asserts. “We were thinking about the parents just as much as the kids when creating the show.” Opting for a punk aesthetic and following a girl who breaks the mould, Sarah hopes her show helps kids that think they don’t quite fit in feel at home – something she found herself when Irish drama company Little Red Kettle visited her school: “That was my first experience of seeing theatre and going, ‘They’re my people. I want to be like them, I want to do that.’” Sensing a sore absence of diverse theatre groups in the UK incentivised Sarah to set up her own in 2014. “The stage needs to represent the world,” she declares. “What you get in dance, generally, is one body shape and one skin colour up on stage, but the world is very different to that. I’m a size 16 – my body shape is not a typical dancer – but I deserve to be on that stage and call myself a dancer and choreographer. “I need to say something about the world that’s going to shift my own perspective – and hopefully the audience’s – on how we see things or reflect on what we’re watching,” continues Sarah. “Working with a diverse group of people is the number one way of doing that, by bringing their experiences onto the stage.” The Nutcracker aims to embrace audiences of all demographics, with care taken to make the show as accessible as possible; a British Sign Language creative interpreter will be present and audio description will be displayed. This all-inclusive approach is taken even further by tempting audiences to become part of the performance. “If kids need to get up, move and dance, shake or make noises, they can,” enthuses Sarah.
22 DECEMBER 2022 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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