Alan Cumming narrates the Nutcracker's trauma origin story—yes, there's therapy needed.
Conceived by John Mauceri, this new work is a re-imagination of Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, "The Nutcracker." Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 book, Alan Cumming recounts the origin story of how a prince got put into a nutcracker. Unlike the ballet, we also learn what happens when the young girl grows up, having saved the prince, and what they are doing today.
Score
Mauceri's Tchaikovsky reimagining hits different when you're emotionally vulnerable.
Acting
Cumming's voice work walks the line between camp and genuine heartbreak.
Production
Visuals that feel like vintage storybook illustrations come alive, slightly haunted.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mauceri specifically returned to Hoffmann's darker original tale, bypassing the ballet's sugarplum sanitization entirely.
This 2021 production emerged when live theater was decimated, making its hybrid film-theater format accidentally prescient.
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