National Ballet’s triumphant return of The Nutcracker

The Sugar Plum Fairy is only featured in the ballet’s last act. By the time he partners the Sugar Plum Fairy, Larkin’s character is already very familiar. Peter, by now resplendent as a cavalier, then transports them after the intermission in a magical ship to the palace of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The National Ballet’s “Nutcracker” is by any standard spectacular, which considering what it cost to build — around $3 million or more in today’s money — it should be. Last December, the National Ballet had to cut short its run of “The Nutcracker” because of a COVID outbreak.