A brief account into the multiple characters I portrayed in the holiday classic.
As a ballet dancer there was no escaping the Nutcracker, and like most dancers, over the course of my career I performed multiple characters in the holiday classic. Performing the title character was a source of equal parts delight and dread. As the wooden soldier, fighting the Mouse King during the battle scene was the my favorite part of the entire ballet. I tapped into my sparing experience from my karate days to give the duel a sense of realistic urgency. Just flipping a piece of wood back and forth to imply sword play wasn’t interesting for me, nor did I believe the audience would be invested in the outcome. Having a giant foam head resting on my shoulders and covering my head, forced me to focus more on my body language to show my emotions instead of my face. I spent a significant amount of time analyzing the fight choreography, and studied how fencers pose and move as they advance and retreat when they spar. There was no denying I went into the battle with the intent on winning.
As the transformed prince, I knew I could make my acting genuine by tapping into aristocratic airs, but my slight build and ordinary looks were sub par for appearing in any way princely. I was never one of those “poser” male dancers who spend time striking princely poses while admiring themselves in the mirror for hours on end. Maybe I should have? My inability to mask my insecurity negatively affected that over all performance. During the second act I felt as if I was banished to the sidelines as I was forced to sit next to Clara and watch everyone else enjoy dancing. I wanted to be out there too!
I was far more comfortable as the fiery and intense Spanish Chocolate and whimsical French Marzipan. Even my surprise stint as the Sugar Plum Fairy was more satisfying. Yes, I had played around with the choreography in the studio during rehearsals many times in the past, but I never thought I would actually be cast in the role. It was another one of those times where I was cast as the understudy and didn’t think I would actually ever go on. To my surprise, before the ballet debuted on tour, the first cast Sugar Plum quit and I was given approval to go on. In this particular version, all of the second act divertissement characters where dolls who magically came to life before performing their cultural specific dance. My favorite part was, of course, the moment when I came to life. I expressed wonderment to the world around me when I saw everything, including myself for the first time, but I diluted the way I usually reacted. This was probably the most refined I ever attempted to be as a male ballerina, choosing Patricia Barker from Pacific Northwest Ballet as my inspiration, with her doe eyed and blank expression performance. Yes, there were moments of humor and comedy, but I down played my usual naive ballerina persona. I attempted to be a highly dignified dancer, one exuding confidence, while giving my best effort to impress the audience with grace, charm, and charisma. I debuted as Sugar Plum in Chicago and performed the role three more time during a summer tour to Japan.
Though I was still fairly young for a normal person, I was getting old for a dancer when it was suggested I perform the role of Drosselmeyer. Whether uncle or godfather, whether Herr or Constable, whether magician or clock maker and inventor, Drosselmeyer is a pivotal character if not the most important characters in the ballet, and one I was keen to explore.
In the original story by E.T.A. Hoffman, Drosselmeyer was described as a short man with a wrinkly face, who wore a black eye patch over his right eye and a white wig made of glass. While most ballet companies adopted a similar look for the character, many schools cast a non dancer, usually a local actor or sometimes the father of a student who dresses in a black suit and cape. Finding an unusual look was essential in developing an original take on the character. I had never seen anyone who was bald portray him, so the first thing I bought was a bald cap, and then a pair of spectacles and a bushy mustache. Once I could see someone else I could find how he moved. This was an opportunity for me to have some fun and play a lighter character. I was drawn to the idea of incorporating characteristics of silent film star Charlie Chaplin: toes turned outward, flexed feet, quick little steps, and never quite walking in a straight line. Adding my own touch, I set my weight back on my heels with my pelvis sticking out, and of course adding what I did best, my Donald O’Connor imitation of tripping over my feet and falling down. I wanted to make him more cartoonish, in the way an animated character kicks his leg to the side and says, “exit, stage left.” Each gesture was whimsical with a swooping flair, and my reactions were over exaggerated. My Drosselmeyer was definitely the odd ball in the room and perhaps even looked as if he belonged in an alternate universe. I played this version of Drosselmeyer more as a godfather to Clara than uncle, that way I could spend most of my time doting over her, which incidentally made every moment about me. I have always had a habit of pulling focus during every scene I’m in.
My big smile and prominent cheek bones had garnered many insulting comments from critics, so I wanted to find different ways to define my character. I pressed my lips together and used a slither of a smirk, never exposing my dreaded teeth. I twitched my mouth side to side like Elizabeth Montgomery in Bewitched to make my mustache move back and forth. This was an opportunity to explore multiple facial expressions without showing my teeth.
Characters with dual personalities were always more interesting to me, so during the dream sequence I transitioned into a mysterious and mystical instigator. More secure on my feet, I glided across the floor during the battle scene, grandly flipping my cape at different spots around the stage to reveal the mice, soldiers, and the title character himself.
The following year I was once again asked to portray Drosselmeyer, so I went to work on finding a new way to portray him. I wasn’t interested in recreating what I did before, nor did I want to fall into the usual Drosselmeyer traps. The costume usually helps me find my character, but this time the costume was the same as before, so it was completely up to me to find a new character within myself.
This time I wore a black shoulder length wig with a widow’s peak, and grew out a goatee and filled it in to match the wig color. With a darker personality, my new Drosselmeyer was more grown up with a refined and enigmatic personality. The focus became more with my hands and making them expressive, more along the lines of how I portrayed him in the dream sequence in the previous production. My movements were slower and more gallant. I also used some of the characteristics of the Spanish divertissement that I danced in previous years.
This Drosselmeyer was uncle to Clara and Fritz, so I wanted to present more of a connection with Dr. Stahlbaum and mimicked some of the characteristics of the man portraying him in attempt to show we were related. When I wasn’t supposed to be entertaining the kids, I spent the majority of my time on stage communicating with him.
I created scenarios between me and the other adult party goers so I could react to them differently. One couple I met for the first time, so I made our interactions all about me. Another couple I knew well and hadn’t seen them for a long time. With one particular couple I liked the wife, but didn’t care for the husband, so our encounter was brief and impersonal. With the final couple I openly flirted with the wife while the husband was in conversation with other guests. Having a new Clara helped me create a new way to relate to her. This particular Clara was older, so I was more cordial with her.
Though this Drosselmeyer was certainly less fun to play I didn’t find him any less successful. I look forward to the time when I can once again step into his shoes and find yet another way to portray him. I’ve never seen a particular interpretation that was so original that it inspired me, so I hope that one day I can create a characterization that can inspire someone else. The possibilities are limitless.
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