Modern Spin On A Christmas Classic: Urban Nutcracker 2019
We once again had the opportunity this year to experience the wonder of a Christmas favorite, the Nutcracker, reimagined in current-day Boston; with the fusion of classical, modern musical, and dance elements. The Urban Nutcracker is a Bostonian original production with roots nested in a local Boston neighborhood dance studio. If you had missed our article from last year’s show, you can find it here and learn all about the history of the production.
Now in its 19th year of production, the Urban Nutcracker is a retelling of the ballet classic transposed to current-day Boston. Much of the production still uses Tchaikovsky and ballet as its foundation, but with the artful incorporation of jazz rhythms as well as tap and hip hop to modernize the material and at the same time make it more relatable to a younger audience. This year is now the second year in a row a live orchestra has been used in the performance, which adds an extra layer of depth to the overall show.
For those who have seen the original performance, the Urban Nutcracker’s story follows a familiar path with the street magician Drosselmeyer visiting young protagonist Ruby and gifting her a nutcracker before whisking her away in her dreams to a magical land. Although this portion of the show stays consistent from year to year, up to 25% of the show is re-choreographed to keep the performance fresh. Rudy and Drosselmeyer are dazzled with dance performances from around the world including Spain, Arabia, China, Russia, and local Boston landmarks. This year sees a new scene inspired by Robert McCloskey’s classic, Make Way For Ducklings, which was based in the Boston Public Garden. This performance, in particular, highlighted the perfect unison of ballet and tap, as the male dancer alternated between the two styles throughout the performance.
Janie Howland once again designed the sets this year and they feature many of Boston’s famous landmarks with Fenway, the infamous Citgo Sign, Roxbury Station, and Revere Beach all acting as backdrops for the story and dance numbers to unfold. The show runs approximately two hours with an intermission half way through, the perfect length for all ages!
The cast of the show continues to come primarily from the City Ballet Boston, and we recognized many of the performers from last year. The motto of the Urban Nutcracker is “Diversity Through Dance” and they continue to honor that through the representation of many different ethnicities, genders, and ages. The inclusiveness of the show is certainly one of our favorite aspects of it as it serves as a reflection of modern-day Boston. More recently, the Urban Nutcracker was featured on CBS News for its “Modern spin on a Christmas Classic”.
The Urban Nutcracker is being performed at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre through December 28th. Tickets are available at bochcenter.org or by calling (866)-348-9738. You can also follow the link here to obtain tickets! Join us in making the Urban Nutcracker a holiday tradition and treat your family and friends to this remarkable show.
2019 Production Photos Credit Peter Paradise Michaels