Festive treat unwrapped as stars of Nutcracker sparkle

Viola Pantuso's Clara travels to the Land of Sweets from her family home in 19th-century Nuremberg in this beautifully danced Christmas confection

- Zoe Anderson

Royal Opera House, London

The Royal Ballet's Nutcracker is a sparkling and much-loved Christmas treat. Since Peter Wright's production opened in 1984, generations of dancers have grown up with it: as child performers in the party scene and the mouse battle, moving on to be snowflakes, national dancers, waltzing roses, princes and sugar plum fairies.

On the first night of this revival, Wright celebrated his 99th birthday on stage, with a special garland hanging overhead, a cake just like the one that appears in the ballet, and a flood of goodwill throughout the theatre.