San Francisco Ballet - The Nutcracker Reviews

Maggie from San Francisco, California

WONDERFUL TRADITION

Our family loves the Nutcracker and we go every year. It is truly a fabulous experience and we love every minute of it. The talent is incredible.

Tatyana from San Francisco, California

POOR DANCING

Watched The Nutcracker by SF ballet on 12/17/2021. I think the costumes and the setting was beautiful and the orchestra was very good. However, dancing is very very poor! No energy, no synchronisation, and the soloists could not follow the music! They were struggling!!! I felt like watching kid’s performance at school where they are only learning to dance and you need to support them. But charging $172 for some amateur performance, that’s appalling! Do not recommend!

John Ungar from San Francisco, California

HAVE A SPARE HOLIDAY

SF Ballet has managed to take much of the charm out of their Nutcracker. The awe inspiring huge growing tree of long past performances has been replaced by a not-so-grand one in the background. The fat, funny mouse king has been replaced by an ugly, unfunny snaggletoothed version. The sets, after the house interior party scene, have become so Spartan that is almost comical. Much of the dancing is observed onstage from a single, tiny, lonely sleigh rather than the grand, snow palace of the past productions - it looks lost and silly. The beautiful final scene of the sleigh soaring off the stage has been eliminated. Perhaps the grand sets are just too expensive now, as are some of the dancers. Many of the waltzing flower dancers seem to have been dropped. Fake snow, however, must be inexpensive as it is now used to such excess that the dancers are obscured. The dancers are terrific and orchestra superb, but the sets of the past mattered too. Much of the magic is, sadly gone.

Sergey from Monterey, California

I WAS CHEATED - MIDDLE SCHOOL BALLET PERFORMANCE, LITERALLY

Would you pay $500 per ticket for a Nutkracker ballet produced in a middle school? Probably you wood, if a child you adore stars in the show. But then your expectations would be set appropriately. When you go to SF Ballet, you expect to enjoy a professional performance from both dancers and musicians. What you get is a show dominated by children dancers (ages from about 5 to about 13). Even Clare is danced by a middle school girl for most of the show. This is cute, and the children are probably dancing quite well for their age, but this is no high art. As a result the quality of dancing of adult performers is pulled down. Thankfully, they at least dance much better than children. The orchestra sounds OK, but, it seems, they are missing the mood of the music for most of the scenes. This year's (December 2023) Nutcracker production is a failure.

Nancy Lynn from San Francisco, California

NUTCRACKER 2017

I went to the Dec 13 2017 show of the San Francisco Nutcracker with my granddaughter. I go every 8-10 years I also attend the Marin Ballets Nutcracker at about the same frequency. In the past, both productions have proven magical, with the San Francisco production somewhat more grand and a bit more magical than the Marin production.We were truly disappointed with the production.It seemed cheap, lazy & uninspiring w some exceptions.And has lost most of its magic.The nutcracker( the doll & the human )were ugly & reminded me of Bozo the clown.The sets & costumes, with some exceptions were clearly sub par, compared to the past.I was bored through parts which has never happened before.Any Marin Ballet production I have been to would have been better than this.The dancing, with some exceptions was also sub par compared to the past. Maria Kotchetkova truly shined and her dancing, including pas de deux with Joseph Walsh was truly exquisite, inspiring & magical. I may never go again.

Yvonne Gabriel from San Francisco, California

POOR

NOT worth the money. Empty stage, not enough dancers, little energy, poorly choreographed dancing. An easy gig for the dancers. The applause was louder for the orchestra than the dancers... Wish I spent my money on something else

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