Amazing
by Ray Ray on 12/12/23The Orpheum Theatre Memphis - MemphisThe performance was fabulous! I hope to be back to watch other plays. The orchestra was amazing!
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The Nutcracker On Tour
Every adaptation of The Nutcracker is the same, yet each The Nutcracker is different from all others. Although it premiered in Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre on December 18, 1892, composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker wouldn't become the dependably magical holiday-season reaffirmation of Christmas joy we know and love until decades later.
Marius Petipa, who commissioned Tchaikovsky's music, and Lev Ivanov originally choreographed the world's most popular ballet. It was loosely based on Alexandre Dumas' The Story of a Nutcracker, the French writer's adaptation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which was a fantastical story by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann. Mourning the recent death of his sister, Tchaikovsky was often unhappy while composing the work, which he nonetheless imbued with some of his most enduringly gorgeous music. (The descending melody in the adagio section of the "Grand Pas de Deux" is said to reflect his feelings.)
Russian ballet was flourishing at the time The Nutcracker debuted, and no expense was spared. In Petipa's production, 60 snowflakes wore long white tutus and matching crowns adorned with fluff balls. The battle scene's soldiers, meanwhile, were recruited from a military academy rather than ballet school, leading to a less-than-elegant confrontation.
The Nutcracker was fated to become more popular abroad than in its birthplace, and was subsequently tailored to suit its new audiences. Encouraged by local Russian émigrés, Willam Christensen mounted the first full American production in San Francisco in 1944. Ten years later, George Balanchine choreographed a landmark version for the New York City Ballet, imbuing it with what Nutcracker Nation author Jennifer Fisher calls its "familial feeling." Balanchine's version was broadcast on national television a few years later with narration by June Lockhart (of Lassie fame).
While nearly every subsequent version of The Nutcracker contains falling snow, fighting mice, dancing candy, and a growing tree (asked to produce it without the tree, Balanchine reportedly replied, "No, the ballet is the tree"), some intriguing mutations have emerged. These include Nutcrackers on ice, the animated adaptation Walt Disney included in the 1940 movie Fantasia, and The Harlem Nutcracker, a swinging jazz revision by choreographer Donald Byrd.
A remarkably resilient blend of complex classical ballet, popular imagery, and holiday nostalgia, The Nutcracker has taken on a life of its own since it first appeared one cold Russian winter over 100 years ago.
The performance was fabulous! I hope to be back to watch other plays. The orchestra was amazing!
One word, amazing. Loved the performance. The venue was great. My wife and I enjoyed both the show and atmosphere. Great drinks and staff. Overall, highly recommend it.
This was my first time seeing this production and we loved it! This was also a birthday surprise for my daughter and she really enjoyed herself and now we have to come every year. The costumes were gorgeous and the performers worked hard on their performances and it showed.
Nutcracker is a mix of dance and ballet! Plus some extras thrown in and it’s delightful from start to finish.
I thought it was really good for a kids’ dance team. I didnt realize thats what it was when I bought the tickets…but I also didnt read into it, so that was my fault. The kids did great though!
It was wonderful! We enjoyed all of it, a great start the Holiday season!
A gift for my niece's birthday. Literally a lifetime show since the ticketing process was so burdensome and full of surcharges, I will never go through it again!!!!! $7.00 to Email tickets? What tickets? I had to go online and get them myself and they weren't even tickets, merely globs on my phone screen! I observed a woman severely frustrated because she couldn't find her "tickets"on her phone! The cost was bad enough, but I want something tangible I can hold in my hand as proof of purchase! Anyone that thinks the ticketing process is fast and easy needs medication. To top it all off, I was not allowed to select seats and had to settle for what they decided to give me! If the fees had been added to the price of the tickets up front, I would bought a more tangible gift since I had to buy for her aunt to escort her. Never again unless the ticketing changes.
This was a surprise for my best friend who has never seen a ballet or the Nutcracker. She had no idea about it until I handed her the program. We had floor seating and to say the event was amazing is an understatement. My friend was in awe and had a smile through the whole show. When the snow fell I was even surprised!! Acquiring the tickets was so easy to do online and showing the tickets at the show was a breeze.
The Rafael Grigorian Ballet Theatre production of the Nutcracker was magical, captivating, and youthful. A blend of classically very well-trained local students at the Rafael Grigorian Ballet School, as well as other youth local students from around the Southern Tier, along with a graceful and talented professional guest soloist, and former local student at the Rafael Grigorian School of Ballet, made for a truly enchanting, skillful, artistic and athletic performance. A must see and true holiday tradition.
My husband and I treated our adult son & his wife to the matinee of the Nutcracker. The dancing and the orchestra were both magnificent! None of us had ever been to the Nutcracker or to a ballet. It was magical and kick started our Christmas!
I took my granddaughters and they loved it. We sat in the very top and had a great view. The dancers were amazing.
Fantastic show!! Even better than last year! The dancing was phenomenal and so were the sets and costumes! Will definitely see this again every December!
You could pick out the girls that could possibly be professional one day.
Lovely rendition of the Nutcracker. Main characters were wonderful. The Syracuse company was my favorite. But this smaller company did a great job.
I actually thought the Nutcracker would be performed by a professional ballet group but instead it was a local dance studio and a room full of their parents, grandparents, and friends. It was ok but certainly not at the level I was expecting!
The show was absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to go back next year
The entire show was amazing. I took my wife there as a surprise and she was not disappointed for a moment! Great job!
Went because I had 3 grandchildren performing. For a smaller town, the Wichita Falls ballet group and the symphony orchestra did an excellent job. Lots of local talent.
Loved every minute. I appreciate that the Neglia Ballet pulls local young talent into a professional ballet. The story and dancing is always a treat.
I really enjoyed the performance! Best yet!!! I would watch it again!