Sugar Plum Conundrum

What is it about the Sugar Plum Fairy that sets so many ballerinas’ hearts atwitter? Hers is not a leading role, not even close, and compared to some of the leaping, cavorting characters in The Nutcracker, she’s not even that interesting from a dance point of view. “Sugar Plum is always in danger of being little more than a pink and pretty vacuum – which is why a succession of producers have attempted to invent extra substance for her.”