Ballet West's The Nutcracker 2025

Yesterday I went to a matinee performance of The Nutcracker with Ballet West and I loved it!  It makes me so happy to anticipate all of my favorite scenes and the palpable excitement of the little girl sitting next to me made the experience even more magical!  I love how the backdrops are slowly raised, one after the other, to reveal the street outside Dr. Drosselmeyer's toy shop, the street outside the Stahlbaum home, the doors outside the ballroom, and then the ballroom itself because it heightens the excitement for the first look at the Christmas tree!  The party scene is so much fun and I loved seeing all of the children because they do a great job, especially Lauren Hildebrand, who dances the role of Clara, because her facial expressions are very emphatic.  I also loved the doddering grandparents (Jacob Hancock and Lillian Casscells) in this scene because they are a hoot.  I loved seeing the Land of Snow through the panes of a frosted window before the Snow Queen and King dance a pas de deux with their snowflakes.  Claire Spainhour and Robert Fowler, respectively, dance these roles beautifully and their lifts, especially, are incredibly graceful in the falling snow.  I loved all of the divertissements the Sugar Plum Fairy shows to Clara and her Nutcracker Prince in the Land of Sweets but, as always, my favorites were the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance because all of the athletic leaps and spins are so exhilarating!  I also loved seeing Mother Buffoon because her children are so adorable, particularly the little one who flips across the stage!  The Grand pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier is always the highlight for me and Rylee Ann Rogers and Tyler Gum, respectively, are dazzling in the roles.  I loved seeing her leap into his arms and then lean all the way forward, almost touching the stage, without any support from him because it is quite spectacular (I'm sure there is a proper ballet term for this).  I love all of Tchaikovsky's music but the score for this ballet is a particular favorite.  I especially loved the harp in the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" and the clarinet in the "Arabian Dance" but my favorite is the Adagio from the Grand pas de deux because I think it is one of the most romantic pieces in the classical canon.  I loved trying to find differences from other productions (since I see it every year) and, even though I can't confirm this anywhere, I think that there are new costumes for Dr. Drosselmeyer and his nephew, the snowflakes, the Sugar Plum Fairy's attendants, and the Mirlitons (who now play reed flutes during the dance).  I love attending this ballet every year and I would definitely recommend adding it to your holiday traditions (go here for tickets).  It runs at the Capitol Theatre through December 27 with multiple matinees.

White Christmas at Hopebox Theatre

Last night I went to see White Christmas at Hopebox Theatre and it was really nostalgic for me because the movie was one of my mom's favorites and we would always watch it this time of year! It is very heartwarming and I had a big smile on my face the whole time! Former soldiers Bob Wallace (Justin Lee) and Phil Davis (Jeff Erickson) have become popular Broadway stars after serving in World War II. When they meet the Haynes Sisters, Betty (Katherine Tietjen) and Judy (Sidney Brown), Phil tricks Bob into following them to Vermont, where they will be performing at the Columbia Inn over the Christmas holiday, because he and Judy want Bob and Betty to get together. When they arrive, they discover that their former commanding officer, General Waverly (Roland Tietjen), owns the Columbia Inn and that he is having financial difficulties due to the lack of snow. Wallace and Davis decide to bring their show to the Columbia Inn and invite the soldiers from their company to a performance on Christmas Eve. A busybody receptionist (Donna Bell) and a precocious granddaughter (Brooklyn Head) think they should be in show business, an overwrought stage manager (Scott Ostermiller) feuds with a taciturn employee (Daniel Pittam) of the inn, and misunderstandings cause love to go awry but the show and both couples eventually come together for a finale featuring the song "White Christmas." This is full of lots of big song and dance numbers and I was so impressed with the cast because they do a wonderful job! I especially loved the spectacular tap dancing in "Happy Holiday/ Let Yourself Go" and "I Love a Piano," the hilarious choreography in "Blue Skies" as the stage manager interrupts the rehearsal multiple times, and the lovely performance from Erickson and Brown in "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" (this was especially impressive because Brown had a major wardrobe malfunction and she didn't miss a beat even during the lifts). I also loved the number "Sisters," both when Tietjen and Brown perform it in Act I and when Lee and Erickson reprise it in Act II (they are hilarious), "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy," both when Bell belts it out in Act I and when Head steals the show with it in Act II, and "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me/ How Deep Is the Ocean?" because it is such a tender moment between Tietjen and Lee (who sing it beautifully). Of course, the big moment comes when the cast (with help from the audience) sings a stirring rendition of "White Christmas" and the falling snow (on stage and in the audience) makes it absolutely magical! The set features a large curtain, used for scenes in various nightclubs, as well as backdrops for the barn, where the show is rehearsed and performed, and the lobby of the Columbia Inn. I was impressed with how quickly various set pieces are moved on and off stage by the ensemble and I loved the winter wonderland painted on the walls surrounding the theater. Finally, the costumes are fantastic! My favorites were the iconic blue dresses (and fans) and red velvet dresses worn by the Haynes sisters during "Sisters" and "White Christmas," respectively. This show is sure to put a smile on your face but it is also an incredibly worthwhile cause because, as part of the mission of the Hopebox Theatre,  all of the proceeds of every production go to support someone in the community who is battling cancer (go here to meet Julie Newton, the recipient for this show). I highly encourage everyone to get tickets (go here) for this touching show which continues through December 27.

The Shining

Stephen King famously dislikes Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of his 1977 novel The Shining but I think it is a cinematic masterpiece and was thrilled when I learned that it was coming back to theaters in honor of its 45th anniversary (what?).  I have seen it on the big screen several times but experiencing it in IMAX last night was absolutely epic!  Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) takes a job as the winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in the remote mountains of Colorado with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) because he is desperate to escape from his troubled past and hopes to find the time and solitude to work on his novel.  Once they arrive, the cook Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers) recognizes that Danny has a strong psychic ability he calls "shining" and warns him that the hotel also has a "shine" because of its violent past.  Danny begins having frightening visions about the former inhabitants of the hotel but Jack seems to feel at home with these malevolent ghosts.  When a severe winter storm cuts them off from the outside world, Jack has a compete psychotic break causing him to attack his family.  I have always found this movie to be incredibly unsettling (the book is scarier but the movie creates an escalating tension that is almost unbearable) and the IMAX format makes the sense of unease even more immersive.  The long tracking shots following Wendy and Danny though the empty hotel are even more disconcerting because it really feels like you are there with them and the sound design, including Danny's Big Wheel traveling across different floor surfaces, ice cubes rattling in Jack's glass, the echo of the typewriter in the cavernous lobby, and the staccato beating of a heart, is even more menacing because it is all around you.  Nicholson's performance is iconic but I have always thought that Duvall's (or Kubrick's) interpretation of Wendy is less effective because it is very weak and passive.  However, in this format her fear is absolutely visceral (it makes Jack's behavior seem even more terrifying) and I couldn't look away.  Even though it wasn't filmed specifically for IMAX, seeing it this way was definitely my favorite viewing experience and I highly recommend it!

Hamnet

I love the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare (it was my favorite thing to teach to my British literature students) so I have been eagerly anticipating Hamnet, a fictional account of how Shakespeare came to write his most famous play, for what seems like forever.  My nephew and I were finally able to see it last night at the Broadway and to say that I loved it would be an understatement (he loved it, too).  William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) is working as a Latin tutor for the Hathaway family when he becomes enamored with the oldest daughter Agnes (Jessie Buckley).  Her late mother, who was believed to be a forest witch, passed down her knowledge of herbal lore so she feels most at home in nature and is influenced by the portents she sees there.  She falls in love with Will for his storytelling and, despite objections from both of their families, they marry and eventually have Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) and twins Judith (Olivia Lynes) and Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe).  Seeing that Will is unhappy working as an apprentice glove maker with his father, Agnes encourages him to go to London where he can pursue his writing but, when he finds success, she refuses to move there with him because of concern for Judith's health.  She had a difficult birth with Judith and, since she has visions of only two children at her deathbed, she is fiercely protective of her.  However, when she is struck by a fever, Agnes does everything to nurse her back to health but Hamnet succumbs.  Both Agnes and Will are devastated by his death but she is extremely resentful of the fact the he was not there to say goodbye to Hamnet and their marriage suffers.  When she learns of his new play, Hamlet, she travels to London with her brother Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn) to see it.  She realizes that it is a tribute to her son and is incredibly moved by a scene between the Ghost of Hamlet's father (played by Will) and Hamlet (Noah Jupe).  The power of art to heal is a favorite theme of mine and I had so many tears in my eyes by the end of this movie!  Buckley gives a brilliant performance because she is absolutely feral in her portrayal of motherhood and I especially loved a powerful scene in which she slowly comes to understand the connection between Hamlet and her son.  Mescal is also devastating in the scenes where he processes his grief, particularly when his actors are rehearsing the play and when he writes Hamlet's soliloquy.  I loved seeing callbacks to earlier moments in their lives within the play, such as the forest backdrop and the fencing scene between Hamlet and Laertes, and the choice to have two brothers play Hamnet and Hamlet on stage is absolutely inspired (Jacobi gives one of the best performances I have ever seen from a child).  The visuals, featuring bucolic locations, are gorgeous and the score is incredibly moving. I loved everything about this and I highly recommend it!

Noises Off at PTC

The first time I saw Noises Off, it was a production at PTC nearly twenty years ago. I have since seen it multiple times (including two productions this year at CPT and Parker Theatre) but I love it and was thrilled to see a new version at PTC last night! It is an absolutely hilarious farce featuring a play-within-a-play called Nothing On starring Dotty Otley (Linda Mugleston) as Mrs. Clackett, Gary Lejeune (Rhett Guter) as Roger Templemain, Brooke Ashton (Olivia Kaufmann) as Vicki, Frederick Fellowes (Terence Archie) as Philip Brent and the Sheikh, Belinda Blair (Sarah Marie Joyce) as Flavia Brent, and Selsdon Mowbray (David Manis) as the Burglar. Lloyd Dallas (Robert Mammana) is the director, Tim Allgood (Kilty Reidy) is the stage manager, and Poppy Norton-Taylor (Avneet Kaur Sanhu) is the assistant stage manager (there is an amusing playbill for Nothing On inside the playbill for this show). Act I takes place during a disastrous dress rehearsal (or is is the technical?) involving the wrong props, a malfunctioning set, missed cues, an actor questioning his character's motivation, an increasingly exasperated director, and a sleep-deprived stage manager. Act II takes place backstage while the show is on tour and features the deteriorating relationships between the actors which results in mayhem as they fight with each other and attempt to sabotage each other's performances. Act III takes place at the end of the run during which Dotty has a complete meltdown on stage and Frederick has an accident backstage causing the rest of the cast to improvise while Brooke performs her lines and blocking as normal. This is such a funny play and this production is one of the best I've seen because I don't think I stopped laughing! There is not a weak link in the cast because they all have brilliant comedic timing and give outstanding physical performances at a frenetic pace, especially in extended sequences involving a lost contact lens, an ax, several bouquets of flowers, a mop and bucket, a telephone cord, sardines on the ground, and several understudies for the same character going on at once. However, I was particularly impressed with Archie, because he spends a good amount of time running around with his pants around his ankles and he becomes progressively more and more injured as the play goes on, and Guter, because he hops up the stairs backstage with his feet tied together and falls down the stairs on stage spectacularly! The two-story pastel-colored set is fantastic and the sheer number of doors (which are frequently slammed very dramatically) is impressive. I also loved the large window because it allows the audience to see what is happening on stage during Act II and backstage during Act III (which adds to the chaotic humor). I had a lot of fun watching this and highly recommend it to anyone who needs a laugh (and who doesn't?) this holiday season! It runs at PTC through December 20 (with matinees on Saturdays) and tickets may be purchased here.