English National Ballet, Nutcracker, London Coliseum

It’s the enchanting Christmas night tale of a little girl, Clara, her magic nutcracker doll, and a trip through a frozen dream landscape, without which no Christmas would be complete – The Nutcracker, or, in English National Ballet’s own version, returning to the Coliseum this Christmas, simply Nutcracker.

This is in many ways a charming, if idiosyncratic production by the company’s former Artistic Director Wayne Eagling, which follows the general drift of the German writer E.T.A Hoffman’s original tale, as adapted to the stage by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in 19th century Russia.

As one of the world’s most performed ballets, with literally hundreds of productions heralding Christmas on stages big and small the world over, The Nutcracker has undergone many transformations and adaptations.

For ENB’s production, Wayne Eagling started by dropping the definite article from the work’s title; set the action in Edwardian London, rather than provincial Germany; added a hot air balloon to transport Clara and her Nutcracker to the Land of Snow; gave a much more prominent role to the Mouse King and his acolytes; and tinkered with some of the divertissements.

Some changes work better than others, but what is sure to enthral is Tchaikovsky’s glorious score played live by ENB’s own orchestra.

ENB’s is one of at least three Nutcrackers coming to London this Christmas and it stands its ground against the more traditional productions brought by The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.