I didn’t plan to write a review of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker at the Royal Ballet & Opera. After all, the name of this blog is quite clear that I care about opera and not ballet. It is always difficult to explain to people who don’t know opera why I am not as passionate about ballet, which I think a lot of people just place into a “classical music” category. I usually see about one ballet per year, either opportunistically when I’m in a city for opera or with my best friend who loves ballet. I fully appreciate the athleticism of the dancers; they are incredible humans. However, it just doesn’t speak to me the same way opera does.
Now put all that aside. This version of The Nutcracker was amazing. Tchaikovsky’s music has always been incredible; his ballets are at the top of my instrumental playlist. My issue with the ballet was that the first and second act felt like completely different shows; it reminded me of Stephen Sondheim musicals like Into the Woods. Peter Wright‘s production solved this problem.
What’s unique about ballet vs. opera is that there’s so much more flexibility in ballet to fundamentally change the story since you’re not tied to specific words, only the music. Producer/choreographer Peter Wright took advantage of this to create a better storyline. He expanded the roles of Clara and Herr Drosselmeyer to keep them as a through line across acts. It led to the Sugar Plum Fairy being a smaller role, but no less spectacular in terms of dancing difficulty. The sets and costumes are so sparkly, but never shift into kitsch.
If I was only going to see one ballet in 2025, this was the perfect one to see. The only word for it is “magical.”
Ballet: The Nutcracker
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Venue: Royal Ballet & Opera
Date: December 16, 2025
Link: https://www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-events/the-nutcracker-peter-wright-details
Opera Nerd 
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