BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Once you get past leering at the bare buns, lean frames and tightly wrapped packages on display — which will take some time, but is time very well spent — an immense appreciation sets in for the years of skill acquisition and the daily maintenance it must take for Company XIV’s “Nutcracker Rouge” cast to bend, stretch, prowl and leap with such artistry, expression and precision.
Staring slack-jawed at this world-class display of fully realized human potential inspires silent promises to join that gym or hit that dance floor; or at least decide against a third pass at the holiday buffet table. Then, the realization sinks in that even if you’re able to reinvent yourself as a criminally smooth Fred Astaire, the 14-member ensemble is — to paraphrase an old argument for the superiority of Ginger Rogers — doing everything you can, but backwards…and in high heels!
That’s the point at which your mind undergoes a course correction, from dreams of self-improvement back to carnal fantasies — which is a very good space to occupy when in the company of this troupe that takes its cue (and name) from the decadent court of Louis XIV. Enthusiastic consumers of body-twisting acrobatics, pole dancing, fetish gear and good old-fashioned peep booth voyeurism will experience eye-popping flashes of recognition, and rushes of blood to all the right places.
As conceived, choreographed and directed by founder Austin McCormick, Company XIV’s dreamy, roguish, two-hour tour is steeped in tradition — and not just the type we’ve come to expect from Tchaikovsky’s oft-reimagined classic.
The familiar plot (girl gets toy nutcracker, navigates strange lands, finds her way home) is told, more or less, through burlesque and carnival-inspired acts of balance, upper body strength and uncommon endurance. The best of these take place while swinging from the rafters, alone or in pairs, and always without a net. (Marcy Richardson’s extraordinary turn suspended above a mirror, twirling on a hoop while filling the intimate Minetta Lane Theatre with her piercing operatic soprano, reaches its crescendo to thunderous applause.)
Down on the floor, but just as fully removed from the earth at times, the sexually fluid cast is thrust into Jungian dreamscapes filled with shadows, silhouettes, and backlighting — where the loss of innocence-cum-sexual awakening story arc of Marie-Claire (Laura Careless) is told through can-can, tap, fan dancing, and, at times, devoutly pure ballet — all performed with lusty grace by a cast decked out in set and costume designer Zane Pihlstrom’s high-functioning heels, glittery G-strings, and intricate corsets.
Like Marie-Claire’s internal struggle to break free (and boy does she, when a tepid attempt at handling a riding crop warp speeds into the realm of gleeful expertise), “Nutcracker Rouge” is a flood of diverse images and influences, only occasionally overwhelmed by its desire to explore and experiment — as is the case with pop music in Act II’s trip to Sugarplum territory (“Material Girl,” “Peppermint Twist”), disappointingly presented with a winking silliness that is incompatible with the evening’s sexually charged current and beautifully dark tone.
Quibbles aside, “Nutcracker Rouge” is a worthy addition to your holiday calendar — this year, or for years to come. It’ll give your out-of-town guests something to talk about, and it just might lead to some pillow talk with the person sitting next to you. All good theater should have that effect!
“Nutcracker Rouge” contains partial nudity (16 and over admitted). Tues.–Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 5 p.m., through Jan. 17, at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane, btw. Sixth Ave. & MacDougal St.). Tickets are $50–$85. Premium & VIP seating is $100–$175. To order, visit ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000. Rush tickets ($30) are available at the box office beginning two hours prior to curtain, for patrons under the age of 30 (limit, one ticket per ID).
The next Company XIV production, “Snow White,” plays Jan. 26–March 12 at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Artist info at CompanyXIV.com.
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