Behind the Eyepatch

During the yearlong existence of the Joffrey Ballet’s “Nutcracker,” Sugar Plum Fairies have come and gone, but there’s been only one Drosselmeyer, that mysterious figure in the eye patch and cape who guides the child-heroine, Clara, from her Christmas Party to a magical Candyland.

Night after night, plus matinees--more than 40 times this season alone--the distinguished British character dancer Alexander Grant has appeared as a guest with the Joffrey in his first U.S. appearances since 1976.

Grant says he’s “not quite sure” why the late Robert Joffrey picked him for Drosselmeyer “suddenly, out of the blue,” but notes that he had “come to know and be very fond of Robert through (judging international ballet) competitions” and found the invitation “a very special honor.”

At 63, Grant is best known for 30 years of service to the Royal Ballet of Great Britain, but he has also been artistic director of National Ballet of Canada and has helped the Joffrey restage the Frederick Ashton classics “The Dream” and “La Fille Mal Gardee.”

And soon after the Joffrey gives its final “Nutcracker” performance of the year, this afternoon in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Grant must fly back to England to play another Drosselmeyer in another “Nutcracker”: this time the version for London Festival Ballet, his current home company. “I do all the old gentleman roles there,” he says.

Compared to his Drosselmeyer in other productions, Grant describes the Joffrey portrayal as “very much a showman and magician,” but he considers Drosselmeyer’s relationship with Clara a more serious matter than flashy legerdemain.

“He’s introducing her to the world,” he says, “the world of fantasy and the imagination, a world of love and romance. He’s introducing her to different suitors, showing the loving relationships that one can have with someone.”