Tuesday, November 24

[dirac]

Moira Macdonald appraises Nutcracker productions for The Seattle Times.

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Sweetest treats: As always, it’s a joy to see the array of very young dancers from PNB School in this performance; I’m particularly fond of those magically gliding angels who open Act 2. The grown-up dancers hold up their end nicely, particularly Leta Biasucci as a delicately sparkling Sugar Plum Fairy and Christopher D’Ariano’s charmingly silly Mother Ginger. And while some may still prefer the Sendak designs, this Ian Falconer production is intricate and beautiful, with the colors of the “Waltz of the Flowers” alone — coral, hot pink, sea foam green — sure to brighten any dark winter’s night. (Note: Stowell/Sendak die-hards can stream the 1986 film of that version on Amazon Prime Video.)