TV REVIEWS : Classical Mixes in Vamos’ Ballet

In this “Nutcracker” centenary, ambitious revisionism runs amok.

Not only does Mark Morris cram unfamiliar incidents from the original story into his updated adaptation, “The Hard Nut” (to be shown on PBS’ “Dance in America” on Wednesday), but Hungarian choreographer Youri Vamos combines “The Nutcracker” with “A Christmas Carol” in an hourlong ballet scheduled for Sunday at 7 p.m. on Bravo cable.

In the Vamos mixture of Hoffmann, Petipa and Dickens, little Clara is the daughter of Bob Cratchit while the eccentric toy-maker Drosselmeyer owes money to Scrooge. It is the miser’s troubled dreams that bring us the usual Candyland divertissements .

Ingenious enough as far as it goes, but Vamos could utterly corner the Christmas market if he made everyone stop dancing in the finale and give a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” Maybe next year. . . .

Other disappointments: There’s no Tiny Tim, no “Waltz of the Flowers” and no magical Christmas tree. Instead of mice, we get the men’s corps of the Bonn Ballet wearing nothing but green body paint and backless briefs.

To accommodate such innovations, Tchaikovsky’s score is not only drastically cut and resequenced but also sometimes recomposed. (Herbert Beissel conducts.) Vamos often seems oblivious to everything in the music except tempo, with the adagio of the Sugarplum pas de deux looking especially inept. The Arabian Dance is listed in the credits but never seen.

The Bonn company fields stronger character dancers than classical virtuosi, but Joyce Cuoco proves capable and spirited as Clara, partnered by Tero Julku as the Nutcracker. Marc Wenke polkas, Charlestons and, yes, moonwalks with equal vigor as Scrooge.