The Nutcracker has delighted audiences at Christmas for many decades yet it was deemed a failure at its first performance.

  We take a close look at how this well-loved ballet now takes its rightful place on stage and how the music of Tchaikovsky along with story-telling, design and dance all come together to make the most magical escape for young and old alike.

 

 

Nigel Bates is the Music Administrator for the Royal Ballet and has worked as a performer in and out of London’s Royal Opera House for nearly 40 years.