2 'Nutcracker' versions convey tradition

You can't help but enjoy the wide-eyed, lively enthusiasm that greeted the first "Nutcrackers" of the season this weekend, both at San Francisco Ballet and Ballet San Jose. While newcomers to the ballet found in every trick and turn the awe of discovery, for longtime viewers the annual "Nutcracker" tests our ability to be transported yet again by the magic of childhood dreams.

And there's plenty of theatrical wizardry to appreciate in Helgi Tomasson's version of the holiday classic, which opened on Friday night at the War Memorial Opera House, the Tchaikovsky score nicely paced under the baton of Martin West. Now in its ninth outing, the San Francisco Ballet production efficiently weaves the tale of young Clara's adventures with her Nutcracker prince, aided immensely in the first act by Michael Yeargan's sets - which go from the sleek Victorian to monumental - and in the second act by Martin Pakledinaz's exuberant and fanciful costumes.

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