Dancing sugarplums, hot chocolate, tea, and marzipan grace stages across the globe
every year starting just after Thanksgiving. This year, there are more Nutcracker
productions than ever to choose from, with lots of budding ballet schools on
the South Shore and the greater Boston area. No production is the same,
however. Every director uses artistic discretion to include or not include
parts, and different choreographers come out with different Nutcracker productions.
Based on the
children’s story by E.T.A. Hoffman and then later adapted by Alexandre Dumas, The
Nutcracker is set in Victorian-era Germany at the Stahlbaum residence for
their annual Christmas party. Clara Stahlbaum’s Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer,
gives her a Nutcracker at the party. In the middle of the night, Clara has a
nightmare in which her godfather makes the Nutcracker come to life and leads
the toy soldiers in a battle against the three-headed Rat King and the giant
rats. The Nutcracker defeats the Rat King, and Clara and her prince travel to
the land of the snow where they encounter dancing snowflakes. Then, they travel
to the Land of the Sweets where the Sugar Plum Fairy rewards Clara and her
Nutcracker Prince with dances from different countries as they eat lavish
sweets. The divertissements, or dances, include dancing hot chocolate from
Spain, marzipan from France, tea from China, Trepak from Russia, and Arabian
coffee. Then, Mother Ginger and her gingerbread children entertain the
Nutcracker and Clara. After the lively dances, flowers of the Land of the
Sweets dance a beautiful waltz and Clara says goodbye to the divertissements.
She wakes up from her dream next to the Christmas tree in her living room.
One of the more
famous versions of The Nutcracker is George Balanchine’s, where Clara
(called Marie in this version) is played by a young girl, 8 or 9 years old. In
this version, Drosselmeyer’s nephew is the Nutcracker Prince who guides Clara
through the Land of Snow and the Land of the Sweets. Also, the Russian Trepak
dance is replaced by dancing candy canes. However, the original Nutcracker
ballet was choreographed by Marius Petipa for the debut perfomance in 1892 at
the Mariinsky Ballet Theatre in Russia. In Russia, even today, Clara (called
Masha) is played by a professional ballet dancer and not a child, most of the
time someone in their late teens or early twenties. The Sugar Plum pas de deux,
when the Sugar Plum Fairy dances with her partner, is done by Masha in the
original. The main story of the ballet remains the same, but different parts
are added or taken out, and casting is done to highlight different aspects of
the story.
One school on the South Shore, The International Ballet Academy of
Norwell, is following Marius Petitpa’s original choreography pretty closely,
changing only a few things to suit the students’ strengths. The academy will be
performing their version of The Nutcracker December 21st and 22nd at
7:00 p.m. at the Company Theatre in Norwell. Also on the South Shore, South
Shore Ballet Theatre performed their version December 12th and December 13that
Derby Academy. In Cambridge, Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre will be performing their
version, choreographed by Mr. Mateo, every weekend until December 24th at the
Sanctuary Theatre and then at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester. The Brookline
Ballet School will also be performing dances from Act II of The Nutcracker
on December 17th at the Ruth Corkin Theatre. And Boston Ballet will be
performing their version until December 31st at the Boston Opera House. This is
the last time Boston Ballet will be performing this version, because next year
the 20 year old sets and costumes will be retired, and new choreography will be
introduced.
Since the turn of the century,
Nutcracker performances have been delighting audiences worldwide. Going
to see The Nutcracker is a great way to contribute to local performing
arts organizations, and also get into the holiday spirit. With about five
versions being performed in the South Shore and Boston area, it’s easy to find
a performance to go to. Tickets range in price for each performance, but each
version has something new and exciting to offer to the old classic. The
Nutcracker is a fun tradition to be a part of, and an entertaining event.
Watching the magic of a live performance can almost make you believe you’re in
the Land of the Sweets with Clara and her Prince.