The trouble with the English National Ballet’s Nutcracker is that it coincides with The Royal Ballet’s superlative version currently playing at the Royal Opera House. Ballet fans have the opportunity to compare both productions, and with the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s version appearing soon at the Royal Albert Hall, there will be a surfeit of Nutcrackers this season.

There are delights to be found in Wayne Eagling’s interpretation of the Tchaikovsky classic, chiefly in some of the performances by the soloists.

The story itself is a little muddled and confused, with the Nutcracker transforming into a soldier, Dr Drosselmeyer’s nephew, and eventually, the Prince. My chief complaint is the appearance of the rats during the Waltz of the Snowflakes. This is usually such a glorious piece of dance, and to have it marred by the entrance of those pesky rodents is unnecessary and spoils the choreography. The rats do not need to appear at all in the second act – they are usually done away with by the end of Act I, which makes more sense, both dramatically and musically.

Things pick up considerably with the Act II divertissement: on the opening night, Crystal Costa, Adela Ramirez and Daniel McCormick excelled in the Spanish Dance, while the Waltz of the Flowers was a visual delight. The costumes, by Peter Farmer, are stunning and the beautiful wintery set at the beginning of Act I is pretty: how clever to have the dancers skating perilously along in the snow and ice.

As the adult Clara (and Sugar Plum Fairy in this version), Rina Kanehara brings a child-like wonder to her early scenes, which changes to regal glamour for her famous pas de deux with Jeffrey Cirio as her noble Prince. Praise should go to all the children in the production, especially Sophie Carter as the young Clara, and Nicolas Pereira Da Silva, who as her brother Freddie, was particularly obnoxious.

The Nutcracker, by the English National Ballet, is at the London Coliseum until 30 December.