Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Ballet Chicago's "The Nutcracker" ends next weekend Dec. 16-18, 2016


Jack Reed

Recommended Posts

A look at the forum shows I've been commenting on this production for eleven years now.  It's a little different each time, and I won't know what changes to report about this year's until I catch up with it, which I surely will.  

 

Long story short, I was underwhelmed by the complicated and fussy new Wheeldon version for the Joffrey Ballet last weekend, and I look forward to B.C.'s more dancey, more musical approach as an antidote - although to be fair it must be said that as B.C. is primarily a school, one of the best Balanchine-oriented ballet schools in the country, I think it's fair to say, with slightly younger dancers than Joffrey, the seasoned strength in excellence of the professional Joffrey performers - from the top of the large cast right down to the smallest role (and on down into the orchestra pit) will not likely quite be matched - B.C.'s values are considerable: This Nutcracker is about dance and music!  (It's value for money, too, at about $25 - $35 a ticket.)  And when they dance, they reveal that the line between student and professional can be pretty fuzzy.

 

So check it out: Evening shows are on December 16 and 17 at 7:00, matinees on December 17 and 18 at 2:00, and the Athenaeum Theater is at the intersection of Lincoln, Wellington, and Southport Avenues in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

 

(Here's a link to their current Nutcracker photo gallery, with some more images, as well as a few repeats from the link above; I haven't any new identifications, though.) 

Edited by Jack Reed
to stress B.C.'s Balanchine orientation
Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...