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Published: 29 December, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

I was able to take my 90-year-old mum Jean to watch Matthew Bourne’s brilliant Nutcracker! at Sadler’s Wells with the very minimum of fuss.

Thanks to the theatre’s excellent facilities and wonderfully courteous staff I could push mum in her wheelchair into a prime position within the auditorium to watch this magical show.

I should point out that I was not given special treatment as a member of the press and had paid for our tickets, booking as a private individual.

I hadn’t intended to write a review of the ballet, but people in wheel­chairs are so often treated as second-class citizens,  and for us Sadler’s Wells was a little oasis of civilisation.

What’s more, I was able to speak to a human being by phone and not an automated voice to rebook our tickets after mum had a fall and was unable to attend the previous week’s performance.

Because I was bringing a registered disabled person, I parked for free in the theatre’s private car park and pushed mum without obstacle to the main entrance in nearby Rosebery Avenue.

Inside the auditorium I had a good seat beside her in her wheelchair.

Nutcracker! is a modern ballet packed with all the well-loved Tchaikovsky music performed by a live orchestra.

The first act is set in a Dickensian orphanage, and the second takes us into a Sweetieland of colourful opulence, including a giant wedding cake that dominates the stage.

The matinée we attended was full of families, including many young children who appeared spellbound by dancers in a range of exotic and whacky costumes.

• Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker! is at Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, EC1, until January 22, 0844 412 4300, www.sadlerswells.com