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Don't buy a gift; give an experience. This year, The Washington Ballet celebrates 15 years of its very-DC version of The Nutcracker, through December 28 at the historic Warner Theatre in downtown Washington DC.
Set to Tchaikovsky's magical score, this celebrated production set in 1882 early Georgetown has become the signature Nutcracker in our nation's capital. The curtain rises and the audience is transported back in time to a Georgetown mansion, where party guests include Frederick Douglass, John Paul Jones, Harriet Tubman, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. The Washington Ballet's iconic version is equal parts history lesson, mischief and humor. With General Washington as the heroic Nutcracker and George III as the Rat King, the story comes to life with over 100 dancers, intricate, stunning set designs and original custom costumes. Audiences will be captivated by stunning duets by Anacostia Native Americans and a springtime on the banks of the Potomac. Waltzing cherry blossoms, dancing cardinals and dancing sugar plums plus other enchanting adaptations make this unique production at the majestic Warner Theatre a special treat that continues to captivate audiences of all ages.
complete shambles from start to finish. No control at gateway/way too crowded even 30 minutes before curtain up. Ticket entrance a real problem. Then in the hall itself no railings for the stairs to the seats and no grab bars. Seats too close to neighbors and not enough room. Will never go here again whatever the performance
Overall a good experience, only a hand full of professional dancers in the production though
Went with my 4.5 yr old daughter and we had a great time. The show was a perfect duration for her to sit through and we loved the different acts and music, of course! Thankfully, there was popcorn as well as she wanted a snack desperately by the intermission.
We loved the show, it was excellent. What didn't love was the number of people who arrived after curtain went up and the show started. They made it hard to see the opening of the show because they were escorted to their seats.
Balcony seating was tight, no leg room at all. Very uncomfortable to enjoy the show, overpriced ticketing.
I am by no means a ballet snob, but I’ve seen the nutcracker a number of times and this was the worst. Lots of standing and posing, not particularly dynamic dancing. Nice that they utilize local kids. But overall 👎
First time at the Warner theater and first time seeing the nutcracker we had a great experience. Just wish it wouldn’t have been so crowded.
We really liked this year's nutcracker performance!
The first act and its principal dancers provided a formulaic and unremarkable performance. The second act was a joyful and graceful, with inspired dancing and creative choreography, and uplifting performances by main and supporting dancers.
The nutcracker ballet performance by the Washington Ballet was awesome, in spite of the cramped seating in the upper balcony at the Warner Theater. All in all, a nice way to spend the evening with my family!
The Warner Theater is beautiful, I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We unfortunately arrived late because offered parking was at least a 0.5 mile away. When we arrived the theater there was a large crowd waiting to get inside, so it took even longer than expected. Staff were definitely hustling and encouraging people to get to their seats. I believe this delayed the show 15 mins. Our overall experience was a fond one. Nice venue, easy access, and nice facilities
I took my daughter for her birthday. It was both of our first times to see the Nutcracker, so I wanted it to be a professional ballet at a beautiful theater, and it did not disappoint. My daughter is not one to sit still, but she was mesmerized and in awe the whole time. The whole family is going next year!
Both the performance and the venue were special. An original interpretation of the Nutcracker! Very DC specific with cherry blossoms and historical figures. The children who performed were adorable. Don’t miss this novel presentation of a holiday classic!
Excellent show love performance dance so good anywhere you sit in the warner theater is great see everything.
Look, I’m biased, I’ve seen The Nutcracker at Bolshoi 5-6 times, and this feels like a kids play by comparison. I do think my 4-year old enjoyed it.
Really enjoyed the scenes and costumes of this okay. The set design was phenomenal but thought that the plot and story was rushed towards the end. The sugar plum fairy and their partner were great but IMO, their performance lingered and could have been a bit shorter with more storytelling than dancing. Don’t get me wrong, the dancing was beautiful just thought that the overall story could have been present better.
If you could actually see and enjoy the dancers, I’m sure you’d have a five star experience. The costumes were magnificent, the acrobatics were impeccable, and it was clear the Washington Ballet had assembled a great show. The problem? The Warner Theatre is managed incompetently - and allows for everyone’s experience to be ruined, save for those drinking themselves to oblivion. Where to begin? First, the Warner’s policy, as confirmed by staff, is to continue to seat all attendees so long as they have physically entered the building by showtime. This means that, forty minutes into the show, staff were seating people continuously without waiting for the music to stop. It was so unbearable people began moving to stand in the aisles - for $70 minimum, a disgrace. Then, Warner’s policy is also to provide copious amounts of food / drink to everyone during the performance. So not only were people being seated throughout the entire first Act, but through the first and second, people were waltzing around with huge trays. And popcorn? Why on EARTH is popcorn now considered an appropriate food in the theatre? Lastly: the audience. Completely disrespectful. Between people changing their kids’ clothes in front of everyone else, adults and children climbing over seats, people flashing phone lights, etc., it was atrocious. I understand the Nutcracker may be a “kids show.” But the audience behaved like toddlers, and it was so incredibly sad. I can’t ever recommend this performance and will actively tell people to avoid it and the Warner. If you want to see the Nutcracker, go somewhere else. While the Washington Ballet are beautiful performers, the Warner has made the experience little more than a circus.
The show was even more beautiful because I was with one of the choirs that won the Radio 97.1 FM Contest. The only problem I had was that while I was at the show, I received a notification from my bank that Ticketmaster was trying to charge me $400 for two more tickets. I learned from a Ticketmaster representative that these were resale tickets, and since the transaction did not go through, it would be gone from my account in 7 days. So even though I enjoyed the show, that left me with a bittersweet taste, and afraid to use my card again to buy anything on this platform.
Washington Ballet's Nutcracker is a well put together show. Lovely, colorful, the soloists delivered a great display of artistry and virtuosity. Music was recorded, which I didn't expect. For the price of our tickets, I expected to see an orchestra in the pit playing live. That was a bit disappointing. We were in our seats early, yet our view was blocked for the first 20 minutes because people kept coming in late, walking in and stopping in the aisles with their drinks and pop-corn, right in front of everyone's seats. When you are seated, anyone standing in the aisle blocks your view. Ushers not only did not help, but made matters worse by continued to let people in, standing there while the show was going on. We saw the same thing about to happen again on the second half. We got up and moved to other seats farther away from the aisles. If you attend a show at the Warner Theatre keep in mind that the theatre sells drinks and pop-corn in the lobby. People will wait in line at the bar and enter the show late carrying their precious pop-corn and drinks, so expect the first 20 minutes of the show to be a constant stream of people blocking your view.
Great ballet and fantastic performance! will go to see it many more times!