It all started with a dream.
As the Nutcracker was nestled all snug in his bed, visions of a chess game with the Mouse King danced in his head.
And so begins the five-episode saga that was the Nutcracker vs. Mouse King. We made these videos last year in anticipation of the opening of The Nutcracker at the Ohio Theatre. It follows the dueling mascots as they run into each other at various iconic locations around Columbus.
Now, we’re just one week and one day away from 2015’s opening night, so we thought we’d share a few fun facts about the making of those Nutcracker vs. Mouse King face-offs.
Episode 1 “The Dream”
The Nutcracker Prince who falls blissfully to sleep is actually played by a different person than the one in the dream. Nutcracker season is busy for our dancers, so we had some difficulty tracking down a person who was available and could fit the costume. A few friends volunteered their time to help us.[vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/kLMaroBb7DM?list=PLNbP1qXKmvGpU7E-8EgTWGLGjqYi_EEG8″ align=”center”]
Episode 2 “The Starbucks Spot”
The Mouse King throws the bag of nuts, which we bought at Giant Eagle, to the ground in anger when he spots his nemesis. During filming, the bag actually broke open and a few nuts cracked. Oh, the irony.
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Episode 3 “Face Off”
Stinger, the Blue Jackets’ mascot, was a huge help when we arrived to shoot Episode 3, “Face Off.” He actually showed the Nutcracker and Mouse King how to properly hold the hockey stick and shoot the puck.
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Episode 4 “Rat Basketball”
COSI employees were more than willing to join in the fun during Episode 4, “Rat Basketball.” The employee standing behind the Rat Basketball demo even threw in a few of his own “stunts.” We did have to remove the real rats from the basketball court during some of the shooting for their safety. A few BalletMet staff members also made a cameo in this episode.
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Episode 5 “The Battle”
The most-watched video of the five is the last one, Episode 5, where the Nutcracker and Mouse King race each other to the Ohio Theatre. The two are situated around the Ohio Statehouse when they both receive texts from Uncle Drosselmeyer about Clara. (By the way, does this make them…RELATED?!) We cleared this plan with Ohio Statehouse personnel beforehand, but we still got a few suspicious looks from security as we raced around the premises.
[vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/UelwLUz8BH4″ align=”center”]Which video was your favorite?