A ‘Nutcracker’ fortunate to make dreams come true

The mechanical balloon on the proscenium is temporarily grounded. The airbags that inflate to become flowers have a mind of their own. By mistake, Child-Mouse #11 turns on Child-Mouse #10’s cue, and it keeps snowing in the parlor.

No matter. Despite such glitches -- and the company’s delayed, storm-tossed arrival -- the dancers of American Ballet Theatre have enough skill and spirit to make Kevin McKenzie’s familiar, undistinguished “Nutcracker” full of memorable moments at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

The first three performances of the engagement brought no new insights to a hectic, confused version that wants to combine facets of everyone else’s “Nutcracker” -- to have a grown-up dancer play little Clara yet also present another dancer as the Sugar Plum Fairy, for example, and to offer the simplified, traditional story line as well as glints of a more complex narrative that existed when the production premiered nine years ago.

Moreover, as designed by Paul Kelly, the production has no magic. The Christmas tree never really grows -- it’s simply hauled up to reveal a larger tree behind it -- and the dancers playing the Nutcracker nearly get decapitated when their masks are yanked off in what’s supposed to be a transformation scene. But who cares for long when so many talented artists get a chance to shine -- when Stella Abrera, for instance, decides that the choreographic platitudes of the Snow Queen represent a golden opportunity and delivers dancing of spectacular speed and flair?

However, nobody in the Friday opening cast or two Saturday lineups generated more electricity than Joaquin de Luz as the Nutcracker and Paloma Herrera as the Sugar Plum Fairy. De Luz has a smile that could serve as a beacon to another galaxy. He’s obviously decided that he’s the star of the evening and makes you believe it with dancing of great assurance and charm.

Sascha Radetsky and Gennadi Saveliev get through the grueling partnering chores of the role more smoothly but remain curiously deferential -- never daring, alas, to steal the show.

As for Herrera, with that radically tapered waist she impressively renews the currency of the term “hourglass figure” in the ballet world but ultimately dazzles you with her flashing feet -- feet that seem to have been born on pointe and that strike sparks whenever they graze the floor. Marcelo Gomes partners her capably but never seems to admire her as much as we do -- and that’s a fault.

Maxim Belotserkovsky, on the other hand, obviously adores his Sugar Plum, Irina Dvorovenko (they’re a husband-and-wife team). And, without compromising their remarkable elegance, their sense of connection warms their steps and reminds us that even a formal pas de deux depicts an emotional relationship.

New to this challenge, the majestic Michele Wiles and the noble David Hallberg display their admirable training and musicality without making the duet their own as yet. However, Wiles dances the Snow Queen with exactly the same attack, so there’s a question of whether her concept of classicism extends beyond executing the steps as beautifully as possible.

Of the Claras, Erica Cornejo proves ideally wide-eyed and lyrical, while Maria Riccetto goes for a spunkier, more forceful portrayal. Sandra Brown, however, looks miscast: too mature to be convincing alongside the real, locally recruited children in the party scene. She appears to much better effect when slinking through the gymnastic Arabian duet with Isaac Stappas.

Victor Barbee, Guillaume Graffin and Ethan Brown each bring a different personality and style to the role of Drosselmeyer without resolving the narrative questions of the McKenzie version. (For starters, is the ballet Drosselmeyer’s dream or Clara’s?) Full of needless cuts that include the “Flutes” and “Mother Ginger” divertissements as well as the end of the grand pas adagio, the Ballet Theatre edition of Tchaikovsky’s score is played by the Pacific Symphony conducted alternately by David LaMarche and Charles Barker.

The Santa Clarita Children’s Chorus performs the snow vocalise sweetly, and listening to this passage with your eyes closed gives you a far more focused “Nutcracker” experience than watching the restless, scattered corps effects that McKenzie imposes on stage.

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‘The Nutcracker’

What: American Ballet Theatre dances “The Nutcracker,” with different casts.

Where: Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

When: Tuesday-Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Ends Sunday.

Cost: $17 to $82

Contact: (323) 308-6363

Also: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: Dec. 18-20, 8 p.m.; Dec.21, 2 and 8 p.m.; Dec. 22, 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $20 to $75

Contact: (714) 740-7878