Two Canadian cities, Toronto and Montreal, will each host major productions of the classic holiday ballet, The Nutcracker, this Christmas season.
Celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, the National Ballet of Canada will stage James Kudelka’s adaptation of the story at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto from December 10 until January 3. The city’s mayor, Rob Ford, will appear in a cameo during the production, donning a multi-colored Petrushka costume from Russian folklore and gamboling around on stage for about two minutes in a non-dancing role.
Beginning December 10, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal will perform Fernand Nault’s timeless adaptation of the popular tale. Conducted by Allan Lewis, the production incorporates the work of over 300 artisans and collaborators, and each performance will include one child volunteer, chosen randomly from the audience, to be ‘Mouse of the Day’, appearing on stage during the ballet’s first act.
The Nutcracker follows the story of a young girl named Clara who is given a wooden toy for Christmas. After her brother breaks the nutcracker out of jealousy, her godfather is able to repair the toy with a bit of magic.
Sneaking downstairs in the night to check on her new nutcracker, Clara finds the parlor filled with human-sized rats and mice, doing battle with tin soldiers. With Clara in danger, the nutcracker comes to the rescue.