Helene Posted November 9, 2023 Share Posted November 9, 2023 PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET PRESENTS GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER® November 24 – December 27, 2023 Marion Oliver McCaw Hall 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Seattle, WA 98109 Streaming Digitally December 18 – 27 SEATTLE, WA – Pacific Northwest Ballet’s sparkling production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® returns to the McCaw Hall stage for 37 public performances this holiday season. Featuring Tchaikovsky’s timeless score performed by the world famous PNB Orchestra, PNB Company dancers in show-stopping roles, bright young stars from the PNB School, unique-to-Seattle sets and costumes designed by Ian Falconer (creator of Olivia the Pig), and McCaw Hall’s lobbies decked out with the season’s best photo ops, PNB’s production is the Pacific Northwest’s favorite holiday tradition. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® runs November 24 through December 27, 2023 at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall. Tickets start at just $29. (See “2023 Performance Schedule” below, for showtime details.) The Nutcracker will also stream digitally from December 18 through 27, for families and friends to watch from the comfort of home. Tickets for the digital access are $55. For tickets and additional information, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at PNB.org, or in person at 301 Mercer St. (Be mindful of unauthorized online resellers: When purchasing tickets for PNB’s production of The Nutcracker, order directly through PNB for peace of mind.) PNB is happy to offer a sensory-friendly matinee of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® on Tuesday, December 19 at 2pm, designed to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for people with sensory-processing challenges to enjoy the performance with family and friends. Modified lighting and sound levels, allowance of devices and fidgets, entry/exit privileges, trained staff, and designated quiet and activity areas will be offered at the performance. 2023 NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE Day Date Times Friday Nov. 24 2:00 pm & 7:30pm Saturday Nov. 25 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Sunday Nov. 26 12:30 pm & 5:30 pm Friday Dec. 1 7:30 pm Saturday Dec. 2 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Sunday Dec. 3 12:30 pm & 5:30 pm Friday Dec. 8 7:30pm Saturday Dec. 9 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Sunday Dec. 10 12:30 pm & 5:30 pm Thursday Dec. 14 7:30 pm Friday Dec. 15 7:30 pm Saturday Dec. 16 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Sunday Dec. 17 12:30 pm & 5:30 pm Tuesday Dec. 19 2:00 pm Sensory-Friendly Performance Tuesday Dec. 19 7:30 pm Wednesday Dec. 20 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Thursday Dec. 21 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Friday Dec. 22 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Saturday Dec. 23 12:30 pm & 7:30 pm Sunday Dec. 24 12:30 pm Monday Dec. 25 No show, ho-ho-ho! Tuesday Dec. 26 12:30 pm & 5:30 pm Wednesday Dec. 27 12:30 pm & 5:30 pm Link to comment
Helene Posted November 10, 2023 Author Share Posted November 10, 2023 TICKET INFORMTION Tickets to PNB’s live and/or digital performances may be purchased through the PNB Box Office: Phone - 206.441.2424 In Person - 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Online (24/7) - PNB.org (Advance tickets through the PNB Box Office are strongly suggested for lowest prices and greatest availability. Tickets may also be purchased – subject to availability – 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall.) Tickets for the live performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® are $29 - $210. (Some prices are subject to change. Discounts available for children 14 and under. All ages require a ticket for admission, including babes-in-arms. For helpful hints and frequently asked questions about attending the ballet with children, visit PNB.org/Community/Resources/PNB-Kids.) Tickets for PNB’s digital presentation of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® are $55, and viewing access for the program is December 18 – 27. Don’t get fleeced for the holidays! Be mindful of unauthorized third-party online resellers when buying tickets for PNB’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® (or any other “big ticket” item.) Order directly through PNB.org or 206.441.2424 for peace of mind Health & Safety: At this time, masks are encouraged but not required as part of the audience experience. For details and current info regarding PNB’s health and safety policies, visit PNB.org/Health. Groups of ten or more may enjoy discounts up to 20% off regular prices: Contact Group Sales Manager Julie Jamieson at 206.441.2416 or JulieJ@PNB.org for ticketing assistance. (Discounts are not valid on lowest-priced tickets and may not be combined with other offers.) Nutcracker Intermission Suites at McCaw Skip the lines and bustle of the lobby at half-time! Treat your party to an enchanted intermission experience in the Nutcracker Suite, and take some of the stress out of intermission. The Nutcracker Suite adds ease to a memorable trip to the ballet, with a Nutcracker-inspired array of snacks, confections, and beverages. Nutcracker Suites are $45 per person (includes applicable tax and service charge); performance tickets sold separately. Subject to availability: Most Nutcracker Suites sell out in advance. The show must go on: Pacific Northwest Ballet is committed to honoring its performance calendar. Performances will not be cancelled for sleet, snow, or Seattle traffic. In the unlikely event that the status of a performance does change, an announcement will be posted on PNB.org. PROGRAM NOTES George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® A Ballet in Two Acts, Four Scenes, and Prologue Based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (The Nutcracker, Op. 71, 1891-1892, with an excerpt from The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, 1889) Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust Staging: Judith Fugate with Peter Boal and Garielle Whittle Scenic and Costume Design: Ian Falconer Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls Original Production Premiere: December 6, 1892; Imperial Ballet, St. Petersburg, choreography by Lev Ivanov Balanchine Production Premiere: February 2, 1954; New York City Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: November 27, 2015 Running Time: Two hours and ten minutes, including one intermission The Imperial Ballet’s first performances of The Nutcracker in 1892 at the Maryinsky Theater in St. Petersburg received mixed reviews. Critics complained the music was “too symphonic” and the Sugar Plum Fairy wasn’t given enough to do. Yet, the ballet endured and the suite of musical numbers subsequently drawn from Tchaikovsky’s complete score for performance in the concert hall was immediately popular. The composer was particularly delighted by his use of the celesta, the “heavenly” keyboard instrument newly invented in Paris, for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. When George Balanchine staged The Nutcracker for New York City Ballet in 1954, it was the six-year-old company’s most ambitious project to date. Although NYCB’s Nutcracker established the ballet as a perennial holiday favorite and became the model for many subsequent productions, the ballet had been danced in the United States since 1940, when Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performed Alexandra Fedorova’s staging of a one-act Nutcracker in New York City. The production subsequently toured the country throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s, giving many Americans their first experience of The Nutcracker. The first full-length Nutcracker in the U.S. was choreographed for San Francisco Ballet by Willam Christensen in 1944, replaced in 1954 with a production by Willam’s brother, Lew Christensen. When NYCB moved to the newly built New York State Theater in 1964, the Nutcracker scenery was completely redesigned to take advantage of the larger space. That same year, a young Judith Fugate, newly enrolled in the School of American Ballet, danced the role of Clara for the first time. She would continue in the role for four seasons before moving on to other parts, eventually joining New York City Ballet and adding the leading roles of Dewdrop and the Sugar Plum Fairy to her repertory. In 2015, Fugate took on the role of repetiteur, joining PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal and Garielle Whittle to stage Balanchine’s Nutcracker for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Pacific Northwest Ballet has its own Nutcracker history: In 1975, Pacific Northwest Dance, as the company was then called, acquired Lew Christensen’s Nutcracker, performing the work for eight seasons. In 1983, under artistic directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, the Company presented a new production with choreography by Stowell and scenic and costume designs by famed children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The Stowell & Sendak Nutcracker contributed significantly to the Company’s identity, holding the stage for 32 seasons. In 2015, PNB acquired Balanchine’s iconic production. New designs by another renowned children’s author and illustrator, Ian Falconer, carry the Balanchine staging forward into the 21st century, while the staging by Fugate, Boal, and Whittle ensures the heritage of a tradition reaching back to 1892. [Excerpted from program notes by Doug Fullington. For complete notes and more, visit PNB.org.] AND FINALLY: FUN FACTOIDS! 99.98% of PNB’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® was built entirely by artisans, craftspeople, carpenters, painters, and animators in the Pacific Northwest. Over 50 drapers, stitchers, first hands, milliners, dyers and painters built the Nutcracker costumes. PNB’s shop was not large enough to accommodate the number of costumers required, so some were constructed at the Seattle Children’s Theater and Seattle Repertory Theatre costume shops. There are 154 costumes in the show, not counting duplicates (i.e., multiple versions of the same costume, for different-sized dancers playing the same role – Sugar Plum Fairy, Cavalier, Dewdrop, etc.) Clara’s party dress and Drosselmeier’s coat lining required 10 light coats of red paint for each stripe. Each Snow skirt has nine layers of various fabrics. There are 56 points on each skirt. There are 174 velvet diamonds and 322 jewels on the Harlequin costume. The Harlequin’s partner, Columbine, has 160 velvet diamonds and 272 jewels. 640: Black pompoms on the eight Polichinelle costumes. 760: Petals on the Waltz of the Flowers costumes. (19 costumes, including extras.) 10 feet and 60 pounds: The width and weight of Mother Ginger’s skirt. 175: Number of snaps on the Mother Ginger costume. 4,000: Holes cut by hand to create the lace “doily” tutus and headpieces for the Marzipan costumes. 300: Jewels hand-sewn on the two Arabian (peacock) headpieces. 500: Yards of tubular horsehair used for the Party Mothers’ hairpieces. 1,428: Cabochons sewn onto the Spanish women’s costumes. 2,568: Appliques machine-sewn on the seven Spanish dresses. Sewing the Nutcracker doll required a 16” long needle. Seventeen mice (eight adult mice, eight young mice, and the seven-headed Mouse King) were built by Erik Andor and a team of fabricators in his Pioneer Square studio. 98 yards of “fur” were used to create the mice. They have a total of 230 whiskers. Each adult tail consists of 25 segments. Each ear is made up of six pieces. Laid end-to-end, the mice’s upper lips total 782 inches. Eagle-eyed audience members may spy one gold tooth on the Mouse King. 35 carpenters, painters, artisans and craftspeople in the PNB Scene shop built and painted the sets and props. There are 22 painted drops. 3,000 square yards of fabric were used in the creation of the scenery. 343 gallons of paint were used in the painting of the scenery. The corridor scrim during the Prologue depicts Nutcracker historical figures Alexander Dumas, E.T.A. Hoffman, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, George Balanchine, and Lincoln Kirstein. It took 400 hours to build the Christmas tree. At its full height it stands 40 feet. There are 450 lights on it. There are 32 snow pompons, and 30 cubic feet of “snow” are deployed during the Act I Snow scene, per performance. One of the delightful highlights of PNB’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® is the animated video that accompanies the overture. (For an excerpt, click here.) Created by Straightface Studios located in the Interbay neighborhood of Seattle, the three-and-a-half minute video takes audiences on a flight through the woods and a New England town, up to the front steps of the Stahlbaum home. The town was inspired by antique mid-19th Century maps and satellite images of New England. The terrain covers 372 sq. miles and there are over 1.5 million trees, 8,540 bushes, 287 buildings, and seven mice. In 2016, Straightface created a second video to play during the first act violin solo following the Party scene. This video integrates live-action ballet dancers into a computer-generated world The prominent Christmas star that appears in the Snow scene at the end of Act I is presented by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Winter Star, from Chihuly’s popular Chandelier series, debuted as part of the artist’s iconic Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem 2000 exhibition, and has also been exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (near London) and New York Botanical Garden. Link to comment
AG Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 I really enjoyed those Fun Factoids—thanks, @Helene! I hope PNB has a successful run, onstage and in the bank! Link to comment
Helene Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 Casting is up for the first two weekends; my apologies for just putting two-and-two together now that it opened this past Friday: https://www.pnb.org/nutcracker/ Link to downloadable Excel sheet: 2023 11 26 Nutcracker.xlsx This year's "Opening Night" was actually "Opening Matinee." Link to comment
Helene Posted December 6, 2023 Author Share Posted December 6, 2023 Casting is up for the third and fourth weekend (scroll): https://www.pnb.org/nutcracker/ Link to downloadable Excel file: 2023 12 05 Nutcracker.xlsx Link to comment
Helene Posted December 15, 2023 Author Share Posted December 15, 2023 Casting is up for the last week of performances, which begins on Tuesday, December 18 and ends with the matinee on Sunday, December 24: https://www.pnb.org/nutcracker/ Here's the link to the downloadable Excel file: 2023 12 14 Nutcracker.xlsx Link to comment
tutu Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 Any reports from the Guillams Dewdrop or the Edwards SPF? Link to comment
Jayne Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 I watched the digital Nut with my mom tonight. Cecilia Iliesiu is fantastic as SPF, Angelica Generosa was sparkly as Dew Drop and the corps looked good. Drawbacks were Dammiel Cruz-Gallardo’s expession on stage. He is very focused, but there is no joy, and the Cavalier should present SPF as if she is the pride and joy of his existence. Jonathon Baptista needed more spring as Candy Cane. He needs to look like he’s been shot out of a cannon and bouncy as a ball out there. I really enjoyed Coffee with Amanda Morgan and Miles Pertl. That’s a great paring of two tall dancers. I find the Balanchine version of the party scene boring no matter who performs it. I always get distracted. Just too cutesy for my taste. The tree growth and roomba bed are underwhelming. I still miss Stowell’s ppd to the snow prologue. The nephew nutcracker and Marie in a communion veil never really interest me. But I slog through it all because I love the borrowed Sleeping Beauty violin solo, and Robbins’ mice. The comedic staging of the fight scene never fails to amuse me. I not-so-secretly wish the mice win the fight, and then they get to go to the Land of Sweets! I guess I’m going to ballet hell! Link to comment
Olga Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 2 hours ago, Jayne said: I find the Balanchine version of the party scene boring no matter who performs it. I always get distracted. Just too cutesy for my taste. The tree growth and roomba bed are underwhelming. I still miss Stowell’s ppd to the snow prologue. The nephew nutcracker and Marie in a communion veil never really interest me. But I slog through it all because I love the borrowed Sleeping Beauty violin solo, and Robbins’ mice. The comedic staging of the fight scene never fails to amuse me. I not-so-secretly wish the mice win the fight, and then they get to go to the Land of Sweets! I guess I’m going to ballet hell! Finally found someone who agrees with me about the party scene and Robbins’ mice! Jayne, you are not alone. Link to comment
Helene Posted December 24, 2023 Author Share Posted December 24, 2023 Casting is up for the final post-Christmas performances; https://www.pnb.org/nutcracker/ Here's the link to the downloadable Excel sheet: 2023 12 23 Nutcracker.xlsx I can't stop watching the digital performance. Iliesiu is a magnificent Sugar Plum Fairy, and there was great dancing throughout. There were also wonderful character performances. I loved that Ginabel Peterson's Mother was more annoyed with Fritz than the Father. Larry Lancaster and a PNB student Clara Kang-Crosby were lovely as the Grandparents, charming without overacting. A highlight for me was Luther DeMyer's Mother Ginger, very elegant and demure, and so different than any other Mother Ginger I've seen over 50 years. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 On 12/17/2023 at 5:10 AM, tutu said: Any reports from the Guillams Dewdrop or the Edwards SPF? I didn't see Melisa Guillams as Dewdrop, but I was at Ashton Edwards' first performance as the SPF. The program had gotten some social media attention because of debuts by Edwards as SPF, Zsilas Hughes as Coffee, and Destiny Wimpye as lead Marzipan, and I'm glad to say that they all gave really lovely performances. Edwards was just where you would like someone to be for a first-time performance of that role. They hit all the signature moments, sparkled where you want them to, and was a graceful traffic cop when they were leading the citizens of the Land of the Sweets. And they did a great job with the wand, which so many people don't really attend to. The solo was very clear, and their partnership with Luther DeMyer continues to get even stronger. The two shoulder lifts were dead-on. Hughes seemed to understand that you need to treat the Coffee solo really seriously -- people that get too playful run the risk of making it hokey, but there was none of that in their performance. The sequential arms were lovely, the focus was intense, the cross-lateral nature of the epaulment was beautiful. And the finger cymbals were just right (again with the props -- too many people don't really get comfortable with things, and it shows in their performance). There isn't that much pointe work in Coffee, so when they did draw themselves up on pointe, it was an astonishing moment. And the crawl downstage at the end of the solo was electric. Wimpye really stands out in whatever role she dances -- she was the first Snowflake on stage and she had a wonderful moment there. As the lead Marzipan she was able to keep a lovely flow in her upper body even during some of the picky pointe work in that role. I'm hoping that she gets some featured casting in Swan Lake next month. Alongside these exciting debuts, though, there was some incredibly nuanced dancing by Cecilia Iliesiu. If Edwards gave a clear performance of the choreography, Iliesiu made Dewdrop her own. Over and over again she made choices about how to approach the phrasing of the solo. She has the technical control to play with timing -- drawing out some of the suspensions and then making sharp, fast work of other elements. Carrie Imler had similar skills, and used them to similar effect. Iliesiu is well on her way along that path, and it's thrilling to watch her development. I have a feeling that Edwards will be capable of that nuance as they continue to work -- it was such a pleasure to see them both dancing at the top of their current skills. Link to comment
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