The Nutcracker - xmas fairytale on ice

As marlin and I stepped into indoor stadium, marlin commented that she felt like she's going to watch a sport event =p... yea.. the last time i stepped into indoor stadium was in JC (i guess) when i was doing CIP... in the final of badminton tournament between ronald susilo vs someone =p..

The difference in physical stage of indoor stadium vs esplanade is that audiences could sit at 3 corners!! Guess wad... my tix showed 5th row from the front... bwahahahahah COOOLLL eh?? (but we had a hard time looking for the seat lagh O_o).. coz of the young ushers (most likely they're paid $5 - $6 an hour to usher all of us..) but most of them stay close to their partner of their designated area.. so, i felt there was a shortage of ushers (when actually shld hv been enough)..

We waited for a few minutes maybe 5-10minz.. before the lights went off... and a narrator narated the story like a sport spokesman (because of the echoing theatre i suppose)... n yea.. i hate it when late comers streamed in guiltily..... and i hate it worse when these late comers hold their heads up and walked almost regally in front of your eyes... O_o'!!

The performance begins... to my surprise, the skaters are almost too young! huehuee... well at most teenagers... their costumes very 'russian-ish'... like those u see in anastasia.. complete with the white wigs for the boys.. huehuee... so cute!! and since i was sooo close to the ice (maybe about 3m away), i could see quite clearly their facial expression.. so graceful.. so carefree .. gliding on the ice... *grinsss*

Well, the main character in this story is 'masha', a little girl whom aunt (but in yesterday's story is an uncle.. i suppose it shld hav been an uncle then..) came for xmas.. she gave xmas present for masha, a nutcracker doll.. The time and venue for nutcracker story is xmas eve at masha's home party... if im nt wrong she's orphaned... eniweiz, masha's brother played with it and broke its arm and soon lost interest for the nutcracker doll..

Well, there were many many skaters (posing as guests) in masha's house, with their brilliant costumes... playing with the brother when he lost interest of the 'doll'... the nutcracker doll is played by a girl.. young girl, btw.. and there were moments, when masha's brother played with the doll, he was lifting her in such a way that it gives me goosebumps... coz the brother looked really really young... lifting a girl in such a manner.... *shudder*... heheeee soon he lost interest of the doll.. and played with the other guests... there was also a performance by a juggler, playing with fire! O_o' to think that we were soo amazed to see the witch in swan lake lit his ciggie!!! this was MORE than a ciggie =p when the performer left, i could smell the erhm.. kerosene (?) for a while... huehuee..

Eniweiz, masha loved the doll.. She even took care of the broken arm.. =p and soon, she fell asleep.... when the clock strikes 12, the rat army came into the living room, creating havoc and apparently wanted to snatch the nutcracker doll, but masha shooed them away.. until at one point, the rat king came forward and casted a spell that makes masha small.. (as small as the rats.. duh!) so that she couldnt defend her beloved nutcracker anymore..

It wasnt portrayed in any way that the nutcracker was hurt in any way.. O_o' The rat army came and wanted to snatch the nutcracker doll.. and yea,.. masha shooed them away... What's funny here is that the rat is bigger than masha XD XD... then... somehow the nutcracker came alive that he even had his own Nutcracker army ^_^;.. The rat King came forward... his costume was pompous.. 3-headed mouse king.. and he did something to Nutcracker.... Finally he and his army retreated...

The biggest joke happened!! The rat king costume was sooo huge (almost 2x bigger than masha).. that he couldnt go into the back stage!! bwahahahaa..... the 2 malays behind me noticed it and they were giggling 'tak bole masuk...'... so, i nudged marlin also telling her that the rat king cldnt get in XD XD...

So, we actually we were giggling so crazily that we missed the 'sad scene'... where masha became smaller.. eniweiz.. in this performance, its the other way round.. the nutcracker doll became a full prince (which should have been LATER! in the story)... *guanteng loch, btw*.. =p.. the masha and the prince is REAL husband and wife.. hehee.. so, their dance (do u call it a dance? or skate? wadever) has chemistry!! yay!!! its something that swan lake's odeth and fredrick (wads his name again?) lacked... hehee.. wait wait.. i think i skipped alot of story here...

The nutcracker doll was actually a PRINCE in the fairytale kingdom.. the rat king overthrew him by making him into a nutcracker doll! so, the rat army wanted to finish him off,... gitchew.. and so the story goes on from here, that the prince wanted to gained back his power, overthrow the rat, and ofcoz, get masha back to where she belongs... to achieve this, he has to get the help from sugarplum fairy... which, no one knows where she resides or who she is.. hehee

Back to the performance, there was even an element of moscow circus!! hahaa... there was this 'snow storm' skating with hula-hoops... nice ^_^v huehuee... also there were little fairies (maybe aged less than 10 yr old? they r really really small n cute XD).. Then... finally the sugarplum fairy..!! With her blue and gold costume... I think her costume is da BEST!! Together with her partner, they rocked the stage...! (the partner was the fire juggler guy.. whom breathe fire for this scene XD and as expected, created that SMELL of kerosene again O_o;)

Then the russian dance, arabian dance, chinese dance and french dance.... i begin to think that tchaikovsky's master piece would always have these dance XD eniweiz.. the song for the russian dance is the one that they use for swan lake! im quite sure! or maybe they're similar....!! as i said, the performance had element of circus as well.. the chinese dance showcased the balancing plates on a stick.. u know wad i mean =p...

Masha found the sugarplum fairy... rat army charged.. but was destroyed... and my fav song was played!! weeheee (i still duno wads the title.. but ive always known that song since i first watched the nutcracker prince when i was young).. Then, the pas de deux of masha and the prince who now (supposedly) has broken the spell and became the real prince... (that's y i said at the earlier scenes that the prince is nt supposed to transformed to his full form YET)...

And all skaters came on stage.... and the sugarplum fairy's partner came back on stage... setting the circle of fire (like the swan lake).... and that's the end of the show...! performers came back to the stage.. waved for abit... narrator spoke in alien language... and bye byeeeeeeee.... grrr so unfrenly O_o' The ending is nt quite i expected ler O_o; i THOUGHT the ending cld have been better...

From the story: Masha decided to stay in that fairy tale world with the prince.. but the rat king's pet threw her back to the real world..., which was XMAS day! and masha was so excited telling the story about her experience.. but all the adults told her its a dream... just then, her aunt (the one who supposedly gave her the nutcracker doll) came in and introduced her to 'someone' who, was actually THE prince...

hoho... tat's the ending i knew.. but yesterday.. the ending was... grrr........ (maybe i was already setting the high standard awed by swan lake's grandest encore...)

Maybe i shall give 7/10 for the performance.. reasons:

1. The performers' actions are not in synch with the song :( or maybe its the echoing problem of the indoor stadium.. but maybe becoz most of the performers are still very very young.. But masha and the prince were really good.. there's one part marlin said 'man-handled' XD becoz he was holding her with one hand on top of his head and she was not holding to him at all O_o scary O_o' .. like i said, they were in synch with one another nicely... just that her costume was really... bleah!!

2. Masha's costume was the worst O_o' its REALLY really the ugliest if compared to other performers O_o'! N she was portrayed like a dumb blonde -to my opinion-.. O_o' when masha is supposedly to be a good mannered girl.. Well.. costume wise, the other performers' costumes were great... just that its not as 'fluffy' 'flurry' 'wing-y' like swan lake.. maksud gw.. in swanlake, their costumes really helped to create the 'magical' effects.. but the one in nutcracker.... hm.. they're just brilliant colours, pretty costumes.. but it doesnt create 'that' kind of effect =p hehe.. maybe more to those u see in circus... flamboyant colours, full of glitters.. pretty2 clothes, easing the move.. pleasing to the eye but doesnt create an extra effect...

But yea.. my only complain is Masha's costumes.. *vomit* Nevertheless, they're good, okay!

3. They lacked of stage props.., backgrounds, and expressions... i think the best expression winner goes to the chinese dance couples.. XD

Yea, so its minus 3 points =p 7/10

6/10 for indoor stadium -.-;

1. They let the latecomers in even after 20mins of performance? O_o' irritating!

2. The ushers who ushered these latecomers walked with their back straight, heads up, marching to the designated seats, n wait for the 'slower paced' latecomers behind them..., smiled at them... say something (most likely 'enjoy the performance), tilting their heads... passed the tickets to the hand of the latecomers... and then marched off.... I FIND IT REALLY IRRITATING! esplanade ushers hush-hushed and showed the seat from the side.. and then off they go.. u know wad i mean? its DURING performance!! really irritating to see one person standing there smiling idiotically even for one minute O_o'

3. The stadium allowed drinks and snacks... which makes it distracting when watching.. i smelled sandwhiches and ruffling of plastic bags O_o'

4. The ushers do not really perform their job, in my opinion, many people took out their phones and started recording!! i only saw 1 usher reprimanding one audience... O_o'!! sigh...

So.. 6/10 for the stadium =.=;

Enihoo, it was really really a pleasant evening =] sankyuuuuuuuuuuu again XD