Top image San Francisco Ballet (© Erik Tomasson)

Close your eyes for just a moment. Imagine a massive opera house with jewel-tone banisters and gilded ceilings, murals painted on the walls, and velvet seats. Now imagine taking your spot, dressed to the nines, you look around the buzzing theatre. The lights dim, and the orchestra warms up, suddenly the curtain rises, and there stands a Christmas tree, and people dressed in 19th-century fashion, enjoying a party. It’s a tradition that has been part of the Christmas holidays for over a century, but this year it looks slightly different. 

The Nutcracker Suite is a time-honored production. It’s a story about a little girl having a Christmas dream, meeting candy royalty, and watching separated lovers reunite. There’s magic, and war, love, and excitement, indeed something for everyone in this story. With the pandemic this year, companies are adjusting how they will bring the ballet to the people. 

This year, companies are hosting digital ballets. That’s right. You can watch The Nutcracker as a full-length digital ballet from the comfort of your home. 

How to Watch

The New York City Ballet is hosting their Nutcracker stream through Marquee tv, where you can buy The Nutcracker once or join their streaming service and watch other theatre live streams. 

The San Francisco Ballet is hosting their ballet through their website, where you can purchase the tickets direct. 

With multiple companies offering this option, it gives watchers the ability to choose which production they would like to watch. Each company is different and provides a unique experience. 

With digital streaming, it’s much easier to expose little ones to the wonders of the theatre and continue to bring the wonders of the ballet home. 

The Nutcracker in a Nutshell

The Nutcracker has taken many forms, but the traditional story is that a young girl named Clara or Masha is gifted a Nutcracker doll by her godfather, but her jealous brother, Fritz, breaks it. Devastated, Clara makes the doll a sling and goes to bed. Later in the evening, she returns to the parlour to see the toy. Suddenly, the clock chimes midnight and everything comes to life.

Soon, she wakes from dreams to find the nutcracker fighting off an evil mouse king, and she throws her shoe at the mouse, defeating him. From there, the pair go on an adventure culminating in the nutcracker re-uniting with the Sugar Plum Faerie, the monarch of this fictional sweet land. The ballet ends with Clara waking up to see her doll with a healed arm. 

With a tale of epic proportions, The Nutcracker has stood the test of time and remains one of the greatest art history artifacts.