The Nutcracker

This dazzling holiday classic features BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio – one of the most acclaimed ballet companies in the country – joined by local young dancers and a local children’s choir with narration from the original Nutcracker fairy tale, beautiful sets and costumes, and Tchaikovsky’s memorable score performed live by the BPO.

When Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky was commissioned in 1891 by St. Petersburg’s Imperial Theatre Directorate to write an opera and a ballet, he chose as his subject Alexander Dumas’ version of E.T.A. Hoffman’s story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” Despite the lukewarm response the following year to The Nutcracker’s world premiere, choreographed by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa, the ballet has become one of the world’s most beloved productions. Over the years, certain characters and concepts have varied from one version to another, but the ballet’s story remains essentially the same: A young girl receives a nutcracker for Christmas, then dreams her new toy becomes a handsome prince who battles the evil Mouse King and takes her to visit the Kingdom of Sweets.