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2009 Production "The Nutcracker" |
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| Based on the tale of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T. Hoffmann, this elegant production with one of Tchaikovsky's most enduring scores for the ballet, has provided generations of audiences with a charming tale of holiday adventure that follows a young girl's journey through a fantasy world of fairies, princes, toy soldiers, and an army of mice.
This production features the wonderful music of Tchaikovsky with marvellous costumes designed by our Artistic Director Rosemary Frost and magical sets designed by our team of parents led by Patrick Hudson.
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Drosselmeyer, a mysterious magician and creator of mechanical toys and clocks, was once employed at the royal palace, where he invented a trap that killed off half the mouse population. In revenge, the wicked Mouse Queen cast a spell on Drosselmeyer's nephew, Hans-Peter, which transformed him into an ugly nutcracker doll.
The only way to break the spell is for the Nutcracker to slay the Mouse King and for a young girl to love and care for him in spite of his awful appearance. |
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Act I
When Drosselmeyer is invited to entertain the guests at a Christmas party given by his friends, the Stahlbaums, he decides that this could well be the opportunity he has been looking for. The Stahlbaums have a daughter, Clara, who is a little younger than Hans-Peter. And what better time than Christmas, when the mice are busy stealing the leftovers, for a confrontation between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker? Drosselmeyer decides to put the Nutcracker in the tender care of Clara and makes a special Christmas angel to guide her through her task
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When all the guests have departed and the house is asleep, Clara, in search of the nutcracker doll, creeps downstairs and discovers Drosselmeyer waiting for her. He draws her into his own special world of fantasy, where time is suspended, and exerts all his powers to transform the living room into a great battlefield. Then he summons the Mouse King. In the ensuing battle between the mice and the toy soldiers, the Nutcracker slays the Mouse King, but only through the intervention of Clara, who, out of compassion, saves the Nutcracker's life. |
Act II
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| Restored to his real self, Hans-Peter dances with Clara, and they find themselves in the Land of Snow . Drosselmeyer then sends them on a magic journey to the Sugar Palace in the Kingdom of Sweets , where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Freed at last from his imprisonment inside the nutcracker, Hans-Peter recounts to the Sugar Plum Fairy his great adventure and how Clara saved his life. They then join in a magnificent entertainment put on to honour them for their bravery.
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Returning to reality, Clara is woken by her mother as unexpected guests arrive - it is Drosselmeyer and his nephew Hans-Peter - Clara immediately recognises him as the figure in her fantasy!
The spell has been broken. |
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