Bah Humbug It’s Nutcracker Time

Boston Ballet invited me to see this year’s Nutcracker performance and I decided to put my carol-belting, holiday baking, dance-loving self aside for a little holiday twist on this year’s review. If you can’t stop singing Christmas carols and you love the smell of pine trees everywhere then this post isn’t for you. If you are picking the perfect cookie to bake for your cookie swap and are dreaming of sparkling icicles, glög, winter villages, and Christmas mornings filled with the patter of footie pajamies and slippers, then just move on.

This Nutcracker thing is a force to be reckoned with. Children of all ages dressed in insufferably cute plaid, sparkly, snowy dressed and little bowties and dress shoes fill Downtown crossing. Little chubby baby hands are squeezed tight by parents and grandparents as families step off the cold street into the warm glowing Boston Opera House. Subtle would not be a word I would use for whoever decorated the Opera House. There are lights and ornaments everywhere and that’s just the beginning. Didn’t anyone tell them over the top was so last century?!

Talk about a scene! The Silberhaus family’s home is nice enough. They throw a fancy little Christmas party in their mansion, but I hear they have a terrible mouse problem. Ew!

lizavollphotography-0899 — What a beautiful home and the children look so sweet here checking out Drosselmeyer’s new toy creations. Trust me they’re not so sweet…just like the kids in your holiday cards…they’ll all be fighting in minutes. Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

Also, attending the party are some pretty impetuous children. While most of the children were gracious and showed appreciation for the gifts, one little boy, Fritz, created a dreadful scene. If I were his parents I would be mortified. The children in the audience were tickled pink though (I suppose they could relate). Then, there was the bickering among children followed by a full on tug-o-war! What a disgrace and a toy was broken because if it. How embarrasing for the parents, although they were all so busy dancing I’m not sure they even noticed.

lizavollphotography-0164 — Parents dancing, blissfully ignorant, and perhaps a little tipsy because their children are misbehaving right in front of their noses. Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

So anyway, back to the mouse issue. I heard there is basically an infestation at the Silberhaus mansion. The mice got into all the Christmas treats too. All I’m saying is that if you get invited to the Silberhaus’ you may want to stick to beverages only.

lizavollphotography-1026 — This is not just a single mouse. This is a full blow mouse problem. Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

Anyway their daughter, Clara it turns out has no fears and is pretty fierce. Word got around that she snuck down at night to get one of her toys, some Nutcracker or something. Who gives a kid a nutcracker?! Don’t people know that nut allergies are rampant these days. Plus nuts come pre-cracked in a bag at the grocery store now. In any case, Clara was downstairs when the mice came out to play and without a second though she grabbed her slipper and threw it at the biggest one and scared them away.

lizavollphotography-0287 — Small but mighty. Clearly Mr. and Mrs. Silberhaus do not believe that children should be seen and not heard. Delia Wada-Gill as Clara (center) and students of Boston Ballet School in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Balle

Clara Silberhaus is fierce and it turns out not that soft spoken either. Have you seen her Facebook update lately? She’s been humble bragging all season about how her new “boy toy” has been taking her out on all kinds of adventures.

lizavollphotography-1205 — #ChristmasAdventures #prince #travelbycloud #travel #blessed #pinchme Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

She even saw snow way before our 1st snow here and the Boomerang videos are pretty freaking amazing. On Instagram she’s been posting tons of pictures of all her trips around the world with this mystery guy. She went to Spain for some tapas and hot chocolate. I personally would have gone to Italy for hot chocolate but not everyone is “in the know”. Then she went to China for tea and a few other exotic places as well. Kids are so spoiled these days.

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…but in all seriousness. Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker is magical. If you want to spoil your children, and we all do in some way or another, bringing them to a performance many not be new and on the cutting edge of technology, but the wow factor is beyond compare. The number of moving parts that work together to create the magic of Nutcracker is impressive to even the grinchiest Grinch.

lizavollphotography-1327 — Apparently Clara has upstaged Mary too…she even gets her own lambs. Although, they’re not perfect. The black one just can’t get it right. Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker performances are at The Boston Opera House. Find out more about discounted tickets here. Tickets start at $35. For more information, visit bostonballet.org or call 617.695.6955.