George Balanchine's Nutcracker Delivers

This post follows a tweet that I wrote in November about the popularity of the Nutcracker. The performance of the George Balanchine's Nutcracker is one that is popular around this time. The Nutcracker has been reviewed every year for its story line: how a woman saved Christmas for her family.

Last year I missed an opportunity to attend the Nutcracker because I failed to realize how groundbreaking it was. However, the ballet's revisit to the Arsht Center this year demanded my attention and attendance so I attended the opening night of Miami City Ballet's The Nutcraker on Thurs., December 20. I enjoyed the ballet. It was fun and entertaining as the reviews said it would be.

The nutcracker itself is a toy soldier and has been used to decorate office buildings. However, in the wake of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, I realized that the Nutcracker is not just about saving Christmas, it is about saving Christmas for the children.

The ballet begins with two children, Marie and Fritz. Marie is dressed in a white dress with red lining on the shoulder and the bottom of the dress. She is trying to wake up Fritz, her brother. The scene then changes to a room full of people bringing three big boxes of gifts. The Nutcracker is showcased, wearing red boots and white pants.

However, the ballet quickly showed that naughty or nice, children will still receive gifts as one of the boys stomps on Marie's doll, a Nutcracker. The ballet then transforms the stage into children dancing in pairs.

Marie then falls asleep on the couch with her Nutcraker. Her mother finds her with the help of a candle and puts a red shawl around her. Marie is then bothered by mice. Sixteen Nutcrackers fight eight rats and Marie then sleeps soundly again.

After the interlude, Act II is introduced by pairs of girls dressed as angels. This second half is all about danicng and the costumes of the different characters highlight the beauty of Christmas.
The shoooting at Sandy Hook Elementary happened right before Christmas and I am sure that the families of the young children who died had already bought a Christmas tree and gifts for them, which makes the timing of the shooting all the more sadder.

This Christmas, as always, do not forget about the children!

I attended the Nutcracker play on Wednesday, December 26. The play began will all the excitement of Christmas as Martha and David, a married couple and their daughter, Clara wait for the arrival of their son, Fritz, a soldier. The excitement wanes as the Christmas party is cancelled after the couple learns that their son is dead.

MArtha's uncle arrives with an appetite for her Christmas cookies. He gives Clara, a Nutcracker, which is a toy soldier that is identical to Fritz, and tries to help her revive Christmas. Clara's Nutcracker and dolls come alive and try to help her bake cookies. But, they are interrupted by rats, who hate Christmas and try to stop them from baking the cookies and keep Clara from cutting the Christmas tree. The tone of the house turns gloomy when David learns that Clara cuts the tree that was built when Fritz was born.

The play's intermission was led by a wedding proposal. Children were allowed to play in fake snow made of plastic bags. Overall, this was a great play and it was well attended. However, there was a little girl sitting in front of me who asked her mother to go home because she was tired. Maybe, the times should be earlier for the children.