5 Facts About Gerard Charles’ The Nutcracker
Explore some of our favorite fun facts about the holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker has captured audience’s hearts for decades, but there are sure to be some things you don’t know about the classic. Learn them below!
1. A Name Change?!
In the original story by author E. T. A. Hoffman, the main character was called Maria or Marie who had a doll named Clara. Maybe we’re biased, but we can’t imagine the story without Clara at the center.
2. A Child’s Dream Role
In BalletMet’s production of The Nutcracker, 180 students from the BalletMet Dance Academy and Trainee program help bring the story to life. Depending on their age and level, the students will play characters ranging from the mice during the battle scene, to the flowers during Waltz of the Flowers.
3. A Tough Critic
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the composer of the now-famous music from The Nutcracker and many other ballets, was known to be quite harsh on the show. Tchaikovsky thought very little of the ballet. After attending the premiere performance, he described it as “infinitely worse than Sleeping Beauty” and “rather boring.” Tchaikovsky passed away the following year, never able to experience the lasting impression the story and his music would bring to families all over the world.
4. Familiar Faces
During Act I, you are introduced to the Stahlbaum Family, including Clara’s mother and father. Did you know that, in Act II, the same dancers who play Clara’s mother and father make a second appearance as the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Sugar Plum Cavalier? The love that Clara has for her mother and father is evident as she travels through the Land of Sweets.
5. Shaken, Not Stirred
You may be thinking, ‘What could James Bond possibly have to do with The Nutcracker?’ You may be surprised to know that the narrator of BalletMet’s production who helps guide Clara and the audience through her journey, is the voice of none other than Sir Roger Moore. Sir Roger Moore played the famous British spy, James Bond, in seven (7) films between the years 1973-1985.
Dancers: Former BalletMet Company Member Caitlin Valentine and David Ward.
Photos 1, 2, & 4 by Jennifer Zmuda Dance.