The Nutcracker Story
ACT 1
It’s Christmas Eve in a small town in Germany, and the Stahlbaum family is hosting a grand Christmas party. Young Marie Stahlbaum and her brother Fritz greet the guests as they arrive. Soon the merriment begins as the children play and everyone dances. Suddenly the party is interrupted by Papa Drosselmeyer, Marie’s adored Godfather and a mysterious magician. He entertains the guests with his magic and brings in a giant puppet wagon. The puppets tell a story of a wicked Mouse Queen who casts a spell upon a young prince, Nikita, after he accidentally kills her son. The Mouse Queen turns the Prince into a wooden Nutcracker of which concludes the puppet show; leaving Marie and the guests saddened by the demise of the Prince. To brighten spirits, Drosselmeyer presents life-sized dolls that dance and intrigue Marie with their antics. But the highlight of the evening is Drosselmeyer’s gift of a very special Nutcracker to Marie, a Nutcracker resembling the one from the puppet show. She dances lovingly with the doll until careless Fritz steals and breaks it. Drosselmeyer, with a wave of his hand, repairs the broken Nutcracker and returns it to Marie. With the final dance, the Stahlbaums retire for the evening; all except Marie who is restless and returns to check on her Nutcracker. Suddenly mice appear from everywhere and Marie is terrified. Drosselmeyer appears and chases the mice away. He then unveils to Marie a vision of the Prince before he fell under the Mouse Queen’s spell. The two dance joyously together until the vision slips away and Marie finds herself back on her couch, cradling the Nutcracker. Once again the mice appear, this time larger and more fierce. Just before Marie is overwhelmed by the mice, her toys and the Nutcracker come to life to protect her. As the fight progresses, a giant Rat King appears and battles with the Prince. Just as the Rat King is about to overtake the Nutcracker, Marie throws her shoe at him, distracting him and enabling the Nutcracker to mortally wound him. Marie’s act of loving bravery for the Nutcracker breaks the spell and he magically transformed into Prince Nikita. To thank Marie, he invites her on a beautiful journey through the Land of Snow, to his homeland, the Land of Sweets.
ACT 2
Upon their arrival in the Land of Sweets, Marie and Prince Nikita are greeted by the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier. Prince Nikita relates the tale of the battle and destruction of the Mouse King and of Marie’s heroism, and to honor the couple, the Sugarplum Fairy calls for a great celebration. Dancers from many countries come to perform and share the delicacies of their cultures. The party culminates with the Grande Pas de Deux of the sugarplum Fairy and the Cavalier. Marie, enthralled by the festivities, suddenly finds herself back home, curled up on her couch, visions of her glorious adventures whirling in her head. She wonders if it was all a dream, or if it could have been real.
Photos by Lisbet Photography and Julian Cuevas Photography