An Award Winning CHRISTMAS MUSICAL Featuring The Melodies of Tchaikovsky
Based primarily on Tchaikovsky’s ballet score, this play reaches back
to include the storyline from the original E. T. A. Hoffman book
explaining how the Prince was long ago turned into the Nutcracker who
later magically saves Clara from the evil Mouse King. All the classic
characters make an appearance: Clara’s mysterious godfather Herr
Drosselmeyer, Fritz, her annoying younger brother, the ethereal Sugar
Plum Fairy, and, of course, the valiant Nutcracker Prince. Though it
includes details absent from the Tchaikovsky ballet version, the plot
essentially follows the structure of the ballet and will be
recognizable to those familiar with the ballet.
The
songs utilize Tchaikovsky’s melodies, modifying them only to the extent
necessary to make them easily singable. The play opens with the guests
at the Stahlbaum’s Christmas party toasting their hosts and singing to
the "Overture". The children then decide to have a parade to "The March
of the Toy Soldiers", interrupted by Herr Drosselmeyer’s arrival. He
performs a hilarious puppet show for the children, and then Clara is
off to bed, only to be awakened by the Mouse King and "The Mouse
Brigade". The Nutcracker Prince saves Clara and together they sing the
majestic "Nutcracker Theme" as they venture off to the Kingdom of
Sweets. Act II is filled with the well known tunes from the ballet:
"The Sugar Plum Fairy", "The Arab Dance", "The Trepak", "The Reed
Pipes", and others, culminating in the full chorus singing "The Waltz
of the Flowers". The story is told in two distinct acts, offering the
choice of having a large cast or, by doubling, having the actors from
Act I reappear as other characters in Act II. There are two sets: the
Stahlbaum’s drawing room in Act I and the Palace of the Kingdom of
Sweets in Act II, plus a small removable set or bed to represent
Clara’s bedroom.
