Nutcracker 2021

[canbelto]

All remaining Nuts canceled

[JuliaJ]

They just announced the last week is cancelled too. Totally frustrating -- they should have just cancelled the whole run last week instead of dangling the possibility of week 6 happening. And I don't see the logic either. Omicron is showing that Covid is morphing into something even milder than the common cold for vaccinated people. They're certainly deterring people from wanting to buy tickets for winter. I no longer feel bad for their losing money over this. 

[Helene]

There are two different sets of issues surrounding cancelling performances:  those driven by the entire organization, including the performers, and large gatherings among the audience.

Regardless of whether they are necessary, it isn't clear at all whether shutdowns are sustainable, which would be organization-specific, based on the donor base, the Board, and the patrons.

ETA: And after continuous and extensive reading, I've seen no conclusive science that Covid is morphing into something even milder than the common cold for vaccinated people, although that is the hope/best case scenario.  If there is any consensus, it is that it is too soon to know.

[abatt]

23 minutes ago, JuliaJ said:

They just announced the last week is cancelled too. Totally frustrating -- they should have just cancelled the whole run last week instead of dangling the possibility of week 6 happening.

The presence of Covid among the performers and stage crew is literally a day by day testing process.  They could not have known last week whether the performances for this week would go forward.  As frustrating as it is for us as audience members, imagine how frustrating it is for the company, crew and administration.  Nut is their financial bread and butter, so I'm sure if there was a safe way of continuing the shows would have gone on.   

Here's hoping for a Winter Season at NYCB in 2022. Given the ever increasing Covid cases in NY City, I'm not so optimistic. 

Edited December 28, 2021 by abatt

[canbelto]

Performing arts operations are surprisingly barebones behind the scenes. I went backstage to a famous, long-running Broadway show and was shocked that the costumes were handled just by one woman every night. She stood in the quick change area holding out costumes that performers needed.

We have no idea the extent of the outbreak, and whether it extended to the backstage crew. They might not have enough crew members to run the show, crazy as that sounds. It certainly happened to numerous Broadway shows where there were understudies for the performers but the shows were canceled when the crew also got it.

[Balletwannabe]

They're doing the best they can.  Nobody wants cancelled performances.  

[canbelto]

Yeah and Nutcracker is their big money-maker. If there was some way to keep it open, they would have.

[meunier fan]

Touching mention of NYCB's Harrison Coll by his WSS film colleague, Mike Feist (Riff), in the NYT yesterday  - 

Did you film that sequence on a soundstage?

That was a set in Sunset Park in Brooklyn over the East River. One of the Jets, Harrison Coll, who’s in that number, his father had passed away recently. We had been rehearsing that number for four or five months at this point, and when we finally finished, on that last day of shooting, Harrison brought his dad’s ashes and we went to the East River right there. We actually sang “Jet Song” and Harrison said a little something and thanked his dad and then he released his dad’s ashes into the East River. It was something that was transcendent and we really valued the experience.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

2 hours ago, JuliaJ said:

And I don't see the logic either. Omicron is showing that Covid is morphing into something even milder than the common cold for vaccinated people.

I assume that performances are being cancelled because infected or exposed members of the cast, crew, and orchestra have to isolate for 5-10 days and it's simply not possible to put on a performance with whoever is left standing. Even if they aren't required to isolate by operation of law, union rules,  NYC / NYC employment regulations, etc., the cast and crew have friends, families, and communities they need to protect. Not everyone they have contact with will have been vaccinated—children under 5, for example. It's also likely that at least some members of the cast and crew are in regular contact with people who are at risk of severe disease, even if they've been vaccinated.

If I were a young parent among the cast and crew with toddlers at home, I wouldn't be particularly eager to spend my working day in close contact with someone who was infected or exposed. Ditto if I had an immunocompromised spouse or partner or parent.  

Edited December 28, 2021 by Kathleen O'Connell

[Kathleen O'Connell]

2 hours ago, Helene said:

I've seen no conclusive science that Covid is morphing into something even milder than the common cold for vaccinated people.

We also don't know whether or not "mild" Omicron infections carry with them the risk of long Covid.

ETA: I put "mild" in quotes because not landing you in the hospital doesn't necessarily equal "mild." 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Kathleen O'Connell

[nanushka]

And we don't know seem to have sufficient data yet to determine for sure that Omicron is actually milder than earlier strains — or if it only looks that way statistically because so many more vaccinated people are getting infected, resulting in a lot of mild cases. The actual mildness of the virus can't be determined until there's enough data comparing Omicron vs. non-Omicron outcomes in unvaccinated and/or immunocompromised people.

Edited December 28, 2021 by nanushka

[canbelto]

There are several NYCB dancers who have young children at home right now, and they are too young to be vaccinated. Off the top of my head, Jonathan Stafford/Brittany Pollack, Ashley Laracey, Sterling Hyltin, Megan Fairchild, Erica Pereira and Tess Reichlen all recently (less than 2 years ago) gave birth.

ETA: I think Omicron appears milder because many people who got it (that I know of) were vaccinated. I do know a few unvaccinated people who got it and one of them had a fever up to 107 degrees.

Edited December 28, 2021 by canbelto

[cobweb]

I don't see how a winter season is going to be possible. If they test everyone (not just symptomatic people) for COVID regularly (I assume a few times per week), and anyone who tests positive must quarantine, and given how transmissible omicron is -- it just doesn't add up to allowing for regular performances. Depressing. 

[canbelto]

6 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I don't see how a winter season is going to be possible. If they test everyone (not just symptomatic people) for COVID regularly (I assume a few times per week), and anyone who tests positive must quarantine, and given how transmissible omicron is -- it just doesn't add up to allowing for regular performances. Depressing. 

I THINK the difference is that the Winter Season doesn't need children in the production who are not company members, and who have stringent laws regarding how much they can work. NYCB only fields two "children" casts in Nutcracker. They cannot work every night. 

[cobweb]

Thanks for the hopeful note, canbelto!

[Fernie M]

Nanushka you are exactly correct-if there are too many cases, it affects the number of people performing and the stage hands. This is probably why they canceled the rest of Nutcracker season.

[vipa]

2 hours ago, canbelto said:

I THINK the difference is that the Winter Season doesn't need children in the production who are not company members, and who have stringent laws regarding how much they can work. NYCB only fields two "children" casts in Nutcracker. They cannot work every night. 

So true. Also a rep season allows for more flexibility in many ways. Nutcracker is what it is, with a large cast and back stage crew. 

[canbelto]

26 minutes ago, vipa said:

So true. Also a rep season allows for more flexibility in many ways. Nutcracker is what it is, with a large cast and back stage crew. 

The kids also actually start rehearsal in September. The reason they look so polished and professional is because Dena Abergel actually rehearses them for months. Adult dancers at NYCB are often given days or even hours for throw-ons. 

[BalanchineFan]

5 hours ago, cobweb said:

Thanks for the hopeful note, canbelto!

 

5 hours ago, canbelto said:

I THINK the difference is that the Winter Season doesn't need children in the production who are not company members, and who have stringent laws regarding how much they can work. NYCB only fields two "children" casts in Nutcracker. They cannot work every night. 

MUCH smaller casts all around for Winter. They might even be able to get dancers back into pods. There are so many more covid work-arounds when you go from a cast of 60 to .. say 12 dancers and minimal sets for a single evening. And no child lives alone, whereas many adults do. Single Adults are more able to limit their exposure. 

i’m praying for a Winter season, can you tell?

[cubanmiamiboy]

Damn....I had tickets to see Peck and Woodward on the last week. 🤬🤬🤬

[BalanchineFan]

I had planned to see Nutcracker again this season, so here's the next best thing (barring a subscription to Marquee TV). From the 2011 broadcast, stellar cast,(M. Fairchild, De Luz, Bouder as DewDrop, Reichlen as Coffee, Ulbricht as Candy Cane) you can even read Megan Fairchild's account in her book The Ballerina Mindset.

Watching Tiler Peck's Marzipan made me wonder, who is the best Marzipan you've ever seen? Peck (here) may be le ne plus ultra for me.

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by BalanchineFan

[ABT Fan]

1 hour ago, BalanchineFan said:

I had planned to see Nutcracker again this season, so here's the next best thing (barring a subscription to Marquee TV). From the 2011 broadcast, stellar cast,(M. Fairchild, De Luz, Bouder as DewDrop, Reichlen as Coffee, Ulbricht as Candy Cane) you can even read Megan Fairchild's account in her book The Ballerina Mindset.

Watching Tiler Peck's Marzipan made me wonder, who is the best Marzipan you've ever seen? Peck (here) may be le ne plus ultra for me.

 

Thanks for this link! I just started a one week free trial with Marquee TV, but you have to pay extra ($20!) to rent NYCB’s Nut from 2 years ago. Which I didn’t realize before subscribing, which was the whole point! 😕

[Marta]

ABT Fan said:  Thanks for this link! I just started a one week free trial with Marquee TV, but you have to pay extra ($20!) to rent NYCB’s Nut from 2 years ago. Which I didn’t realize before subscribing, which was the whole point! 😕

Ha ha, I had the same intention but I don't mind ending up paying for Nutcracker.  What I really liked on this site was the doc on Osipova "Force of Nature: Natalia"

[California]

47 minutes ago, Marta said:

ABT Fan said:  Thanks for this link! I just started a one week free trial with Marquee TV, but you have to pay extra ($20!) to rent NYCB’s Nut from 2 years ago. Which I didn’t realize before subscribing, which was the whole point! 😕

Ha ha, I had the same intention but I don't mind ending up paying for Nutcracker.  What I really liked on this site was the doc on Osipova "Force of Nature: Natalia"

Medici has a 2011 performance of the Balanchine Nutcracker with Fairchild, de Luz, Bouder -- no extra charge!

https://www.medici.tv/en/ballets/nutcracker-balanchine-tchaikovsky-lincoln-center/

[ABT Fan]

55 minutes ago, Marta said:

ABT Fan said:  Thanks for this link! I just started a one week free trial with Marquee TV, but you have to pay extra ($20!) to rent NYCB’s Nut from 2 years ago. Which I didn’t realize before subscribing, which was the whole point! 😕

Ha ha, I had the same intention but I don't mind ending up paying for Nutcracker.  What I really liked on this site was the doc on Osipova "Force of Nature: Natalia"

I wouldn't be surprised if I end up renting it anyways, after I watch the free 2011 version per the links above!

I'm 3/4 of the way through Akram Khan's Giselle for ENB - I've wanted to see that for years, so getting the free trial is worth it just for that.