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Oh, why not? — 9 Comments

  1. I use to really enjoy New York at Christmas time. We went almost every year up until 2001. We walked 5th Avenue and enjoyed the stores and displays mostly. We never did one of the Christmas shows like the Nutcracker Suite. But after reading your post you’ve inspired me to shoot for a New York Christmas show next year.

    Thanks.

  2. Americans treat Nutcracker as a lightweight fairy tale. Yes, it is a make-belief story, but more like a fable, and rather dark one at that. Once I read original Hoffmann (sp?) novella, the story was transformed in my mind. Chaikovsky indeed dumbed it down for his ballet, but not as much as subsequent choreographers in US. The directorial tradition on Russia is much closer to the original tragic tale in German.
    I remember seeing in incredibly ethereal, magic stage design in L’vov Opera &Ballet theater, sometime in 1990…still remember that lilac and frosty ice-blue of the curtains, and the floating candlelights in the darkness of intermission…
    Even the old animated film is more…I don’t know…sincere? “in-the-story”?earnest? truly romantic? than the syrupy concoction I saw in Lincoln Center 5 yrs ago. That was quite embarrassing.

    Here, part I.
    Enjoy.

  3. My husband and I went to see the Nutcracker last Christmas at the Atlanta Ballet. He had never been to a ballet before. We did a matinee performance at the old Fox Theater.

    There were plenty of little girls there, and I had as much pleasure out of watching them enjoy the performance as I did watching it myself. It brought me back to my girlhood.

    My husband did enjoy it. Nutcracker is a lively entertaining ballet, full of silly characters (in this version there was a pig character that almost stole the show). Despite one very little girl’s meltdown tantrum in the second act, it was the most fun I’ve had at the ballet.

  4. When my daughter was three, she wore out a videotape of the 1977 Gelsey Kirkland/Baryshnikov version watching it over and over and over again. Now she is 21, has recently acquired a DVD of the same production, and has begun working on wearing that one out. She says she isn’t sure why the story had such power over her young self, but I agree with Tatyana that there is a certain darkness in the story, and I think that is part of the appeal.

  5. I always loved the stagecraft. The North Carolina School of the Arts always used to do a production that was an absolute confection. Perfect convergence of all elements.

  6. Smile, one year my daughter played Clair (I think) and as her real father I played her father in the production. I even had a little dance. We still go every year, although there have been many Clairs I have yet to see my equal as dad.
    Merry Christmas to all
    Biff

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