The Live Cinema Series continues at Gesa Power House Theatre with a screening of the current Royal Ballet production of The Nutcracker on Sunday, December 16 at 2:00 p.m. This production is filmed live in London and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.
The young Clara creeps downstairs on Christmas Eve to play with her favorite present – a Nutcracker doll. But the mysterious magician Drosselmeyer is waiting to sweep her off on a magical adventure. After defeating the Mouse King, the Nutcracker and Clara travel through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy treats them to a wonderful display of dances. Back home, Clara thinks she must have been dreaming – but doesn’t she recognize Drosselmeyer’s nephew?
Peter Wright’s nigh-on definitive production for The Royal Ballet ranks as one of the most enduring and enchanting versions of The Nutcracker. With its festive period setting, dancing snowflakes and enchanting stage magic, Lev Ivanov’s 1892 ballet has become the perfect Christmas entertainment, with Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous, sugar-spun music the most recognizable of all ballet scores.
This production of The Nutcracker has enthralled audiences for over 30 years since its opening in 1984. It showcases the full energy of the Company, alongside the emerging talent of young dancers from The Royal Ballet School. The stunning costumes, numbering around 600 and dating back to the world-premiere, are revitalized for the show.
Loosely based on the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the ballet opens with a lively Christmas party, its Victorian setting captured in opulent detail by Julia Trevelyan Oman’s designs. Wright’s choreography ingeniously incorporates surviving fragments of the ballet’s original material, including the sublime pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. But in emphasizing the relationship between Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, the production also gains a touching subtext of first love.
The Royal Opera House cinema broadcasts offer audiences an equivalent to the best seat in the house, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and incredibly detailed close-ups of performers.
This screening runs approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including an onscreen introduction and one intermission. Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks will be available for purchase, and may be taken into the theater. No outside food or beverages allowed.
Reserved seating: $15 Adults, $10 Students are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500. For group ticket sales, please call 509-876-1662.
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The 2018 Live Cinema Series is sponsored by Shakespeare Walla Walla, a local 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that aims to make Shakespeare and theater approachable and entertaining to students in eastern Washington and Oregon.
