Saturday, December 9, 2 & 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 10, 2 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
One of the area's most adored holiday traditions returns to Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 9 and 10, when the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities perform Tchaikovsky's holiday dance classic The Nutcracker in a presentation boasting new choreography by director (and BQC Artistic Director) Courtney Lyon and live accompaniment courtesy of Orchestra Iowa.
Adapted from the 1816 story by E.T. A. Hoffman and debuting as a two-act ballet in 1892, The Nutcracker tells of the magical adventures of Clara, a young girl who falls asleep on Christmas Eve and dreams of an enchanted world filled with larger-than-life mice, ambulatory toys, dancers from all continents, an ethereal Sugar Plum Fairy, and much, much more. With Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky contributing perhaps the richest and most instantly recognizable of his compositions, The Nutcracker has been a holiday perennial worldwide for generations and has been the subject of innumerable film and TV adaptations, with familiar portions of its score referenced in everything from Disney's Fantasia to The Simpsons to Grand Theft Auto V.
Dancing the role of Clara in Ballet Quad Cities' production is Sarah McVey, a 14-year-old freshman at Pleasant Valley High School who also appeared in last year's Adler Theatre presentations. Clara's godfather, the mysterious toymaker and magician Drosselmeyer, is portrayed by Kyle Shradel, a veteran of Ballet Quad Cities performances in general and Drosselmeyer in particular. And with more than 30 area schoolchildren participating in this year's Nutcrackers, numerous dream figures are danced by Ballet Quad Cities' resident company members: Aubrey Clayton (the Sugar Plum Fairy), Alexander Kingma (the Nutcracker), Branson Bice and Dominique Jenssen (the Spanish dancers), Nicholas Garlo and Mica Ward (the Arabian dancers), Marie Buser, Lauren Carmen, Ashley Coffin, Allegra Holland, and Bridget Polei.
Ballet Quad Cities' The Nutcracker will be performed at the Adler Theatre at 2 and 8 p.m. on December 9 and 2 p.m. on December 10, and tickets are $10.50-36. Following the Saturday-night performance, audiences are invited to join the dancers and Orchestra Iowa musicians for an “afterglow party” in the lobby of the neighboring Hotel Blackhawk. For tickets, call (800)745-3000; for more information, visit AdlerTheatre.com or BalletQuadCities.com.
