PBS student Natalie Yohrling and ARB dancer Erikka Reenstierna-Cates. (Photo by Megan Teat Photography)

American Repertory Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” Returns to McCarter

By Donald Sanborn III

“The children were nestled, all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads,” writes Clement Clarke Moore in “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”

This holiday season, children of all ages will be able to have visions of sugar plum fairies dancing on a stage, when American Repertory Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker returns to McCarter Theatre November 28-30.

McCarter’s website promises that the production of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved work will feature an “outstanding roster of professional artists plus over 100 children from Princeton Ballet School, the official school of American Repertory Ballet.”

“This holiday favorite tells the magical story of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince as they embark on a journey, battling toy soldiers and larger-than-life mice, and traveling through a whirlwind of dancing snowflakes to the Land of Sweets,” the website summarizes. “Greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, Clara enjoys a suite of brilliant and joyful dances before opening her eyes to the familiar sights of her home, wondering if it was all a dream.”

Vzevolozhsky’s design for The Nutcracker. (Wikipedia)

Overture: Inspiration, Composition, and Premiere

Following the success of Sleeping Beauty (1890) Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the Imperial Theatres of Russian Empire, commissioned Tchaikovsky to compose an opera (Iolanta), and a ballet (The Nutcracker), to comprise a double-bill program.

The plot of the ballet, told in two acts, is adapted by choreographer Marius Petipa. It is based on Alexandre Dumas’ short story The Tale of the Nutcracker (1844). The Dumas tale itself draws inspiration from E.T.A. Hoffman’s darker Nutcracker and Mouse King (1816). As with most stage adaptations of literary works, the plot had to be streamlined; among the cuts was a segment explaining how the prince became a nutcracker (due to a curse cast by the Queen of the Mice).

An article published by the website tchaikovsky-research.net includes a quote from Modest Tchaikovsky, the composer’s brother, that reveals that the composer “was ‘very little pleased by the subject of The Nutcracker,’ more precisely with the nature of the ballet’s scenario, since E. T. A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale, upon which it was based, had long ranked high in the composer’s estimation, and was the reason for his agreeing to write the ballet.”

Nevertheless, by late February 1891 Tchaikovsky had begun work on the score. In The Nutcracker Ballet (Mayflower Books, 1979) Jack Anderson notes that Petipa was a “meticulous workman who liked to plan in advance as many details of a ballet as possible. At home he would devise poses and groupings by moving little figures like chessmen about on a tabletop. He made notes to himself and would sometimes start work on choreography before the music had been delivered to him. When the score arrived, he would study it carefully, sometimes revising his choreography to fit the music, sometimes sending the score back for musical revisions.”

The Britannica.com entry for The Nutcracker observes Tchaikovsky’s extensive use of the celesta, “whose clear, bell-like tone was perfectly fitted to The Nutcracker’s fairy-tale ambience. In the celesta’s ethereal notes, Tchaikovsky recognized the “voice” of his Sugar Plum Fairy, and he immediately wrote to his publisher, asking that the instrument be acquired for the performance.”

Olga Preobrajnskaya Legat in The Nutcracker. (Wikipedia)

The premiere took place on December 6, 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Selections from the work were performed as an orchestral suite in March of that year.)

In Nutcracker Nation: How an Old World Ballet Became a Christmas Tradition in the New World (Yale University Press, 2004), Jennifer Fisher excerpts reactions to the debut that were ambivalent (at best). Fisher quotes a critic, known as Domino, who declared that the work “can under no condition be called a ballet,” and called it “a pantomime absurd in conception and execution, which could please only the most uncultured spectators.”

Another critic was unhappy with the production’s youngest cast members: “In the first scene, the entire stage is filled with children, who run about, blow their whistles, hop and jump, are naughty, and interfere with the oldsters dancing. In large amounts this is unbearable.” Fisher observes, “It would take North American audiences, years later, to find any charm in this kind of youthful enthusiasm.”

ARB dancer Clara Pevel. (Photo by Megan Teat Photography)

Performances at McCarter Theatre

In Princeton, by contrast, audiences of all ages have been charmed by the ballet for a little over six decades. American Repertory Ballet Executive Director Julie Diana Hench proudly emphasizes that the upcoming production by American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School at McCarter “will be our 62nd holiday season of performing The Nutcracker in Princeton.”

Hench notes that Princeton Ballet School “first presented excerpts of The Nutcracker at McCarter Theatre in 1956, before our professional company was established, and continued to perform excerpts of the ballet in spring and summer for years that followed.”

PBS students. (Photo by Megan Teat Photography)

The idea of producing The Nutcracker in Princeton comes from Audrée Estey (1910-2002), who in 1954 founded the Princeton Ballet Society, the nonprofit organization that includes Princeton Ballet School (PBS) and the professional company, American Repertory Ballet (ARB).

“At the time, McCarter’s Special Programming Director William “Bill” Lockwood was also on the board at the Princeton Ballet School, and helped realize Audrée Estey’s dream to annually produce The Nutcracker in Princeton,” Hench explains. “In 1963, the professional company performed The Nutcracker for the first holiday season at McCarter.”

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. (Photo by Megan Teat Photography)

Of Mice and Flowers

Interim Artistic Director Samantha Dunster oversees all artistic aspects of the production (including casting). The artistic leadership team includes Artist in Residence Ethan Stiefel and Artistic Associate Gillian Murphy, who also coach the dancers and help prepare them for these performances.

Every cast is a mixture of seasoned veterans and new dancers. “The Nutcracker traditionally includes a full roster of professional dancers from ARB, plus over 100 students from PBS,” explains Hench. “Our professional dancers revisit The Nutcracker year after year, many having performed the ballet since they were young students themselves.”

“Students audition for the production in mid-September each year,” Hench adds. “Rehearsals typically start the following week.”

Hench details the casting process, which is based on a correlation between the roles, and the dancers’ ages and levels of experience. “Students are typically cast in roles based on technical and artistic abilities, and sometimes by height,” she says. “Mice in the Battle Scene, for example, are our youngest and tiniest performers as young as age 6. Then some of our pre-professional advanced students and trainees supplement the corps de ballet in scenes such as Snow and Flowers, with many roles and dancers in between!”

PBS faculty member and Head of Children’s Division Amy Megules emphasizes the skill-forming benefits that the experience of learning to perform Estey’s choreography offers to student dancers. “One of the first things I do in my rehearsals with the soldiers, is let them know that they will now and forever be a part of one of the most iconic scenes of this production of The Nutcracker,” she says.

“Estey’s choreography, set over 65 years ago, is an excellent introduction to the precision needed to perform corps de ballet work,” Megules continues. “When the dancers work together to perfectly execute difficult sections … the audience usually erupts with applause. It’s their ‘Rockette’ moment!”

Wardrobe Supervisor Devon Nicole Austin describes a young dancer’s possible progression from one role to another. “The Nutcracker is my favorite production to work on each year because it’s a rite of passage for our students,” she says. “When children start in the school as Mice, they dream about the day that they’ll advance to become a Party Kid — and we get to be there the next year when they try on their fancy new dress for the first time.”

“I have the privilege of seeing our students grow in ability (and size!) and follow their journey through the production; the show grows with the dancers, which is extremely special to watch,” says Austin. “While it’s definitely a challenge to coordinate costumes for so many different roles and children, it’s certainly a labor of love; there is nothing more quintessentially ‘ballet’ than the magic of The Nutcracker.”

ARB Company Dancer and Assistant Rehearsal Director Nanako Yamamoto also derives satisfaction from watching the younger dancers’ progress. She says, “Watching the younger dancers grow each season — gaining confidence, finding joy in the process, and becoming part of something bigger than themselves — is incredibly special. Sharing the stage with them and helping to carry on this beloved tradition is something I deeply cherish.”

ARB dancer Erikka Reenstierna-Cates, center. (Photo by Megan Teat Photography)

Reflections on Winter Magic

Given the number of performances of The Nutcracker every year, as well as its familiarity and well-established place in the catalogue of dance pieces, I ask Hench what she would say to people who already have seen the ballet — or perhaps find it too ubiquitous to be charming — to encourage them to see ARB’s production at McCarter.

“Nothing compares to our production’s festive spirit, magical storytelling, and beautiful dancing by both professional artists and young local talent,” she replies. “These are just a few reasons why generations of families return each year to kick off the holiday season — they’re experiencing ARB’s world-class artistry in their own backyard, at the historic McCarter Theatre, and creating wonderful memories together.”

Princeton Ballet School student Dylan Kazalonis is among the lucky young dancers who have had access to the experience of being onstage with the Sugar Plum Fairy (and other characters). In 2023 he danced as one of the Party Children.

Kazalonis describes the holiday season as “my favorite time of year” because of the opportunity to perform in the beloved ballet. “I not only get to dance with my friends, I get to dance on the same stage with the professional dancers that I look up to,” he says.

For Yamamoto, “There’s something timeless about this tradition that brings our community together, generation after generation.” She adds, “Being part of The Nutcracker each year is truly magical — not just as a dancer, but also in assisting with rehearsals and watching the production come to life.”

Dunster agrees. She contemplates the enduring appeal of The Nutcracker — and points to the importance of a specific scene involving one of the principal dancers. “The pas de deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy is an iconic role, set apart by the rare gift of tradition,” she says.

“Unlike most ballets, which dancers may only touch again after many years, this role returns each season like a familiar friend,” Dunster concludes. “Its challenges remain profound, yet its rewards are immeasurable, for with every winter the magic weaves itself into the steps. Each Sugar Plum draws upon that spirit, transforming technique into wonder and keeping alive the enchantment that makes this ballet timeless.”

Following the run at McCarter, the American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School production of “The Nutcracker” will be presented at Two River Theater in Red Bank from December 6-7; and State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick from December 18-21. For more information, visit arballet.org/event/the-nutcracker.

Other Area Productions

Princeton Youth Ballet will present The Nutcracker December 6-7 at the Princeton High School Performing Arts Center. Visit princetonyouthballet.org.

Roxey Ballet’s 30th Anniversary Nutcracker will be at the Villa Victoria Theater in Ewing November 29 through December 7. The production unites professional dancers, talented students, and community members from across the region. Visit roxeyballet.org.

New Jersey Ballet and New Jersey Symphony (conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos) will present The Nutcracker at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, from December 12-27. NJ Symphony’s website states, “New Jersey Ballet’s The Nutcracker is the longest running original professional production in the state. The production debuted in Millburn in 1971 with international star of New York City Ballet Edward Villella as the Cavalier. Since then, the company has given approximately 800 performances in theatres throughout New Jersey, with more than 5,000 dancers and children, and over a million viewers.” Visit njsymphony.org.

New York City Ballet will present George Balanchine’s production at the David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center from November 28 to January 3. The company’s website summarizes the history of Balanchine’s production: the acclaimed choreographer, “who grew up in Russia, danced the role of the Prince in The Nutcracker in 1919 when he was 15 years old. Later, after he had moved to America and founded New York City Ballet, he decided to choreograph his own version of The Nutcracker for his company. The first performance of this production was on February 2, 1954, in New York City, and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker has been an annual holiday tradition ever since.” Visit nycballet.com.

Philadelphia Ballet also will present Balanchine’s version at the Academy of Music from December 5-31. Its website says, “The Nutcracker is so fantastic for children — both those in the audience and on the stage — because it is about them. Balanchine felt strongly about giving children the opportunity to be on stage, seeing it as a vital part of training the next generation of dancers.” Also noted: “Though The Nutcracker is considered by many to be a holiday tradition, in Russia it is performed throughout the year; it was Balanchine’s Nutcracker that propelled the ballet to dominate Christmas in the United States … the complete Balanchine version was first presented by Philadelphia Ballet in 1987.” Visit philadelphiaballet.org.

The Grand Kyiv Ballet performs The Nutcracker on December 13 in Sewell and December 16 in Wayne, visit grandkyivballet.com.ua.