Imagine a picture-perfect Christmas scene, Victorian of course. A parlour is lit by flickering amber oil lamps, with a beautiful, traditionally dressed tree in the middle that reaches right up to the ceiling. Its sweeping branches shelter a collection of huge ruby-red Christmas presents, just waiting to be opened. All the tree needs is a fairy on the top. A Sugar Plum Fairy, perhaps?

We have plenty of time to drink in this classic Christmas image whilst the musicians - in their lofty gallery - play Tchaikovsky’s familiar overture. And then the fun erupts.

This year’s seasonal shown at The New Vic is a brilliant concept, immaculately realised.

I’ve seen The Nutcracker danced several times but, bedazzled by magic, movement and music, I’d never quite grasped every nuance of Hoffman’s story. Having borrowed children to take with me, I’d been a bit stumped by their questions on the bus home. Where do the children come from?  Who is the wooden solider? Is the Mouse Queen really naughty?

As a reasonably responsible Uncle I’d had to dig deep into my own inner ‘land of make believe’ to find acceptable answers. Now, Theresa Heskins’ masterful new production, combining ballet with theatre, explains everything.

The story - which takes place in the ‘fairy hour’ between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - is still as thin as an After Eight Mint, but it is clear and concise and supports the ballet superbly. And there are contemporary sugar twists for a modern audience.

The Family appears to be exiled from a non-Christian country and the children have never experienced Christmas before. So, we see the magic through their eyes.

We also see the feint shadows of the war from which they have escaped. This is all unfrighteningly encapsulated by a wonderful, tom-foolery, performance by Abigail Middleton as young Felix, marching around with his wooden toy sword, vanquishing foes with relish. There are other subtle reminders. A decapitated doll. A teddy bear (which had been previously patting children on the head) has its stuffing pulled out of him. And a more realistic swashbuckling sword fight between good and evil.

There will be war at the back of all our minds this Christmas; but the moral is clear, its better to remove the letter ‘s’ from swords, and fight with words instead.

But let us get to the core of this delightful show which is stuffed with fun and frolics, music and mirth, and vibrant beauty. James Atherton’s adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s ballet score has three or four live musicians augmented by a specially re-imagined backing track to give an all-embracing orchestral sound. Whilst Beverley Norris-Edmunds’ choreography distils classical ballet with lashings of laugh-out-loud humour and presents it all ‘in the round’.

I’ve never seen ballet performed like this before, and there are no compromises.

The Christmas Sweets dance on, appropriately enough, to the music from the old Everyone’s A Fruit And Nut Case TV advert, bringing a smile from the Mums and Dads old enough to get the gag. (I wonder if Tchaikovsky ever received the royalties?)

The dancing gingerbread men gallop around deliriously. The snowflakes are dainty, delicate and dreamy. Edwin Cheng’s Nutcracker marches like a wooden toy until he transforms into a human and gives Nureyev a playful run for his money. And Maev Nolan’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, on perfect pointe, is pure classical ballet of the highest order. And, of course, there’s a lively Christmas chase to Tchaikovsky’s Kasack music. But the ultimate thrill is that the whole company (mostly new to the New Vic) dance superbly, whether they are classically trained or not.

There are some characterful acting parts too. Kate Spencer is so homely as the mother caring for her children in a foreign county. Peter Watts is commanding as the full-time uncle and part-time magician, bringing the story to life whilst, more vulnerably, having to explain it (as I did) as it goes along. And Kaitlin Howard is as wicked as anyone can be, wanting to sink their gnashers into a tasty sugar fairy  whilst wittily scorning any mousetraps designed to stop her.     

It's a brave and extremely imaginative departure from the tried and tested New Vic Christmas Show, and it works an absolute treat. It’s visually spectacular (the props department must have had a riot!) and audially wonderful. A delicious Christmas Confection. And an enticing child’s gateway to ballet.

I predict Stoke’s dance classes will soon be burst at the seams.

Five stars

Reviewed by Chris Eldon Lee at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme on. The Nutcracker continues to show at the venue until Saturday 27 January.