American Liberty Ballet has been performing "In a Nutshell" since 2014. What sets it apart from other productions? The Land of Sweets is NYC! Clara and Fritz visit with real every day New Yorkers, with scenes uptown, downtown, in the subway, Wall Street (and Occupy Wall Street!), Brooklyn Bridge, class at the local studio, etc. The rat kerfuffle takes place on a New York-bound airplane (hello, United?) with tray-wielding flight attendants as soldiers. Oh, and the rat king is a QUEEN, who fights beautifully on pointe despite being severely top-heavy because of her giant head. The party scene is at an airport, where weary travelers experience a quick fit of holiday spirit before returning to the madness. Our ballet has a "Holiday Friendship" theme, which you'll understand when you see what happens at the end of the story! Despite all the twists, "In a Nutshell" is The Nutcracker we all know and love. Tchaikovsky's beautiful score sets the stage, a technically rich and magical Snow scene makes us fall in love with winter, and Fritz is still a pain in the neck. With this production, the whole family can share in our love for the holidays and our fine city, all in an hour and 15 minutes!
