Sighting the first Nutcracker is to Christmas as hearing the first cuckoo is to spring and this one-night-only gig at the Royal Albert Hall is a sure sign that the festive season has arrived.


There is much unfamiliar territory for a London audience: three Acts instead of two (a case of 2 into 3 doesn’t go); merging the roles of Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy; and the famous grand pas de deux is a pas de six which bizarrely resembles the Rose Adagio from ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ as four Cavaliers muscle in on the Nutcracker Prince to partner his new love…


The SPBT possesses a star ballerina in Irina Kolesnikova. She is, without doubt, the complete article: exquisite port de bras, great feet and efficient footwork, an elastic back and long, elegant neck and, above all, a radiant stage presence which shone even when seen from the far side of the cavernous Albert Hall…


There are many Russian companies frequently touring the UK and the SPBT is certainly the foremost amongst these, mainly (but not merely) because they have a ballerina of world-class ability and genuine star quality. Less than 24 hours after decamping from London they were on stage again in Nottingham, in a tour that lasts through to February. At their best they are very good, as in the excellent choreography for the Waltz of the Flowers, the pleasing patterns of which were flawlessly executed.