The Nutcracker dazzles childrenEUR(TM)s eyes, but it also confirms their deep suspicion that toys come to life, even when no one is looking or poking them repeatedly with cattle prods. Feel the seasonEUR(TM)s electricity with this GrouponLive deal to see The Nutcracker, presented by the Youth Ballet of Worcester at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts. For $12, you get one ticket for upper-balcony seating (a $24 value). Doors open at 6 p.m. Choose between the following 7 p.m. shows:
- Friday, November 23
- Saturday, November 24
Backed by the majestic measures of the
Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Arts Worcester and its youth ballet company bring The NutcrackerEUR(TM)s beloved characters to life with precise choreography, lavish costumes, and more grace than a figure skater playing chicken with a zamboni.
The Plot
Based on a novel by the 19th-century romantic fabulist E.T.A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker weaves a magical tale of holiday adventure. Clara, the story's heroine, receives a nutcracker from her godfather, a wizardly toymaker named Drosselmeyer. Sneaking downstairs to see the toy after everyone else has gone to bed, Clara suddenly finds herself caught in the middle of a pitched battle between the toys and an army of mice. After saving the nutcracker with a well-thrown shoe to the Mouse King's head, Clara and her now-living prince venture into the Land of Snow and the Land of Sweets to celebrate amid the dances of nimble snowflakes, the regal Sugar Plum Fairy, and seasonally confused vampires.
The Music
TchaikovskyEUR(TM)s score features some of the most recognizable tunes in the repertoire, repurposed beyond the ballet world in works including Disney's Fantasia, which naturally chose to illustrate the musicEUR(TM)s delicate beauty with dancing mushrooms and leaping radishes. Notable sections include the EURoeWaltz of the Snowflakes,EUR which floats weightlessly above the angelic voices of a youth choir, and the second act's medley of exotic national dances, including a Spanish bolero and Russian Trepak. The music-box-like theme of the EURoeDance of the Sugarplum FairyEUR springs from a celesta, a new instrument Tchaikovsky came across in Paris and hurriedly inserted into the score before his musical rivals could make use of its haunting, bell-like sound.
History Lesson
Initially unpopular when it premiered in Russia, The Nutcracker languished for decades with a reputation as one of Tchaikovsky's lesser works. Then, in the 1950s, the balletEUR(TM)s status as a fixture of the holiday season began to grow as suddenly as ClaraEUR(TM)s magic Christmas tree when renowned American choreographer George Balanchine staged it for the New York Ballet. Balanchine's elegant staging remains the most popular, alternating between breathtaking displays of balletic mastery by soloists and duos, and large-scale set pieces that fill the stage with luminous costumes. In The HanoverEUR(TM)s production, oversized confections form the land of sweets, soldiers, and rats prance about in enormous masks.
