The Nutcracker — Royal New Zealand Ballet

Overview

Arguably the most famous of Tchaikovsky's ballets, The Royal New Zealand Ballet and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra present The Nutcracker live in Wellington.

The age-old story is a Christmas classic that has been performed countless times worldwide. This is the first production of The Nutcracker by Royal New Zealand Ballet since 2010 and we can expect a magical display of talent that will entertain all ages.

Those who've seen The Nutcracker before will know it's not to be missed and for those unfamiliar, the story goes something like this.

On Christmas Eve, Clara receives a beautiful handcrafted nutcracker toy at her parents annual Christmas party. When all have gone to bed and Clara lays under the tree with her nutcracker a fantasy world comes to life. Suddenly the nutcracker toy is magically transformed into a human prince and the two set out on an adventure in a magical world of dancing snowflake maidens and lands of sweet treats. When Clara wakes on Christmas morning she is once again beneath the tree, with the nutcracker in her arms, wondering if it was all a dream.

The national tour starts in Wellington where Tchaikovsky's classics including The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy will be performed live. Tickets are still available for the Wellington performances from 31 October to 4 November showing at The Opera House.

Image: Ross Brown.