Thomas Edwards
The Snow Queen
★★★★☆ Beautifully wintry
The traditional Scottish Ballet festive slot may have shifted forward a little due to the King’s pantomime moving across town, but the return of The Snow Queen still manages to provide the appropriate Christmas glitter.
The Nutcracker
★★★★☆ Seasonal feast
Scottish Ballet’s much-loved version of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is back at the Festival Theatre over Christmas. This time round, it seems reinvigorated and remarkably fresh.
The Secret Theatre
★★★★☆ Christmas treat
The Secret Theatre may not entirely make up for missing a Christmas trip to the ballet but succeeds impressively on its own terms.
Cinderella
★★★★☆ Sparkling:
Scottish Ballet’s Cinderella, back at the Festival Theatre this Christmas, is still a festive treat with huge reserves of charm and elegance.
The Nutcracker
★★★★★ A Christmas Cracker:
With enough spectacle and showmanship to keep kids big and small spellbound, Scottish Ballet’s revival of Peter Darrel’s Nutcracker at the Festival Theatre and on tour is the perfect Christmas present.
Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker
★★★☆☆ Sporadic magic:
The sumptuous, Victorian backdrop to The Nutcracker is entirely appropriate for a production that has much of the appeal of a huge box of chocolates.
