Ballet Quad Cities' "The Nutcracker" at the Adler Theatre -- December 10 and 11.
Saturday, December 10, and Sunday, December 11
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
On December 10 and 11, one of the Quad Cities' most adored holiday traditions returns to Davenport's Adler Theatre when the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities perform Tchaikovsky's holiday dance classic The Nutcracker, this eagerly awaited family experience boasting choreography by Artistic Director Courtney Lyon, live musical accompaniment by Orchestra Iowa, and the return of popular guest artist Domingo Rubio, the longtime portrayer of the company's dancing Dracula.
Adapted from the 1816 story by E.T. A. Hoffman and debuting as a two-act ballet in 1892, The Nutcracker tells of the magical adventures of Clara, a young girl who falls asleep on Christmas Eve and dreams of an enchanted world filled with dancers from many continents, ambulatory toys, an ethereal Sugar Plum Fairy, and much, much more. With Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky contributing perhaps the richest and most instantly recognizable of his compositions, The Nutcracker has been a holiday perennial worldwide for generations, whisking audiences to such delightfully otherworldly realms as the Land of Sweets, the Land of Snow, and a battleground for soldiers and mice. Tchaikovsky's ballet has also been the subject of innumerable film and TV adaptations, with familiar portions of its score referenced in everything from Disney's Fantasia to The Simpsons to Grand Theft Auto V.
Rubio will assume the role of Clara's godfather, the mysterious toymaker and magician Herr Drosselmeyer, with Clara herself danced by professional company dancer Claire Cordano. (In this latest take on The Nutcracker, Clara will also actually transform into the Sugar Plum Fairy.) Company member Nicholas Bartolotti performs triple-duty as The Nutcracker's Nutcracker Prince, Mr. Stahlbaum, and one of the ballet's Ukrainian dancers, while Jillian Van Cura portrays the villainous Rat Queen, Christian Knopp plays the Snow King, and Madeleine Rhode (also the production's rehearsal assistant) enacts the Snow Queen. There will also be featured dance roles for Ballet Quad Cities' company members Eleanor Ambler, Ruby Anderson, Sierra DeYoung, Stephanie Eggers, Madeline Kreszenz, Madeline McLaughlin, Isabelle Millet, Kira Roberts, and Mahalia Zellmer, with guest actor Stephen Scott appearing the the Christmas-party sequence.
And with additional choreography provided by Emily Kate Long, The Nutcracker ensemble is completed by a number of student dancers from the Quad Cities region, including: Celia Arnold; Emelia Beck; Abigail Beintema; Betsy Bergthold; Owen Blades; Nora Burns; Lila Castro; Madilyn Dierckmann; Livia Dodd; Nadia Doland; Julia Ellis; Kate Girskis; Amelia Gomez; Vivika Gonzalez; Adley Hampton; Emma Isaacson; Emmy Jackson; Barbara Kendall; Ava Kruse; Grace Lane; Kate Mahraun; Emersyn Mielke; Maya Miller; Alexandra Ripley; Alejandra Rodriguez Santiago; Molly Strickler; Shiori Suzuki; Anna Terry; Addison Waddick; and Bella Williams.
Ballet Quad Cities' The Nutcracker will be performed in downtown Davenport at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. on December 10 and 2:30 p.m. on December 11, admission is $11-36, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000. For more information on this year's performances, visit AdlerTheatre.com and BalletQuadCities.com.
