The Nutcracker
Royal Albert Hall, London

WHERE would the festive period be without pantos like A Christmas Carol or ballets like The Nutcracker?

Better off, some would say, but the naysayers might be persuaded differently by the quality of what's on offer and this new version of the two-act ballet classic by Birmingham Royal Ballet, adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas and with Tchaikovsky's uber-famous score, is up there with the best of them.

Remaining largely true to the original, it tells the story of toymaker and magician Drosselmeyer, narrated by legendary actor Simon Callow, who appears in a puff of smoke to give family and children presents as they decorate the Christmas tree.