We brought My First Nutcracker back to Theatre Row this month for a nearly sold-out run in a larger house than the original 2019 production. It felt fantastic to greet live audiences in the theater. When we premiered the show, our advertising campaign asked families to make it a holiday tradition. The many returning faces we saw, filled with joy as they watched the ballet, told us some of them have. But as much as we embrace the idea of tradition, we’ve presented MY FIRST NUTCRACKER for four seasons now, and not a single production has been the same.
Art is always dependent on context, and when the whole world grapples with a virus, the context of coming together to view theater is undeniably altered. So in 2020 and 2021, MY FIRST NUTCRACKER streamed into homes via a video production. To make it, several artists quarantined themselves in a hotel before embarking on a tight rehearsal and filming schedule, during which their only contact was with each other. Our COVID-era video version of the ballet featured all the delightful dialogue and choreography that make this show uniquely ours, new costumes, adapted interactive sessions, and footage of the Mouse King sneaking through the Theater Row stairwells in an attempt to surprise the Nutcracker.
This year, the Mouse King, and the rest of the production, are firmly back on stage, with a new set, new costumes, and a mix of returning and new cast members. The dancers still happily interact with audience members inviting them to join the holiday party. As we listened to Clara-Marie welcome the audience to her celebration, we felt the thrum of applause as families cheered the Mouse King to distract him long enough for Clara-Marie to rescue the Nutcracker and watched gleeful clumps of masked children make their way up the aisles to dance alongside the company during an interactive part of the show, it was impossible not to see how the changing world had effected tradition. The whole idea of a party feels extra special this year, and the joy of trying new things with friends was palpable
We have made My First Nutcracker our tradition. Like all traditions, renewing this production each year isn’t so much about doing the same thing as it is about having a recognizable event against which we can measure how we and the societal context have shifted over the previous year. The choreography includes a daring pas de deux in which, after Clara-Marie rescues the Prince from the spell which has turned him into a nutcracker, the pair leap, march, and lift each other over their backs, showcasing a parity of strength and panache. When they arrive in the Land of the Sweets, Clara-Marie is crowned Sugar Plum Fairy. On their journey around the world, the two encounter fireworks, a dancing dragon, and a flowing river before joining the cast to become dancing flowers. Each of these moves away from the patriarchal euro-centric structure of the historical ballet and makes room for an audience of New York City Children to see themselves portrayed in a positive and celebratory light on stage. We’ve honed the ballet to present community and cooperation, yet it is still the holiday tradition that decades of audiences recognize.
We hope the audiences that join us each year go home leaping, twirling, and practicing their new-found port de bras skills while humming Tchaikovsky. We also hope they make a tradition of standing together to defeat a bully, that they make a practice of opening their eyes and ears to the variety of cultural and celebratory traditions that live all around them, and that they welcome celebration with friends and neighbors in every season.
Thank you for all you do to help us get there. None of this work would be possible without your support.