Nutcracker in a Nutshell 2:30 Show Saturday, December 10th

It’s a snowy evening the week of Christmas as Frau Drosselmeyer magically puts her final touches on the surprises she has planned for the Stahlbaum’s Christmas party. When we begin at the Stahlbaum’s estate the maids and bakers are eagerly getting ready for guests to arrive. Mr. and Mrs. Stahlbaum with their children, Clara, Louise and Fritz enter a room full of excitement to see how the family’s Grand Ballroom has been transformed for their Christmas party. Friends and Family begin to arrive and joyfully engage in the Christmas festivities. The only problem appears to be a mischievous mouse the house staff cannot seem to catch. Drosselmeyer makes a grand entry into the ballroom and surprises all the guests. Everyone is thrilled to see Drosselmeyer and anxious to see what tricks she has up her sleeve this year. After Drosselmeyer invites a troupe of players to act out a story involving mouse and soldier characters with Clara, she surprises the children at the party with life size dancing dolls. After the dolls dance, Drosselmeyer delivers special handmade gifts to the children but there doesn’t seem to be a gift for Clara until Drosselmeyer gifts her a handmade Nutcracker doll. Clara is in awe of the gorgeous gift and her siblings Fritz and Louise Fritz become jealous. As they yank the nutcracker away from Clara it breaks. Drosselmeyer mends the nutcracker and the party continues with dancing. After the party guests depart for their homes, Clara class asleep under her Christmas tree holding her gift. As the clock strikes midnight, Drosselmeyer appears to be up to something. Clara awakes from to several mice invading the room and her nutcracker is carried off. The Mouse Queen appears commanding her minions to surrounded Clara. Suddenly the Nutcracker, who has magically come to life appears and aids Clara as he commands a platoon of toy soldiers to ward off the mice. The Nutcracker is about to be defeated by the Mouse Queen when Clara pulls off her shoe and hits the Mouse Queen in the head causing her to fall to the ground. The Nutcracker then then defeats the Mouse Queen and takes on human form as the Nutcracker Prince. He escorts Clara through the Land of Snow as her introduces her to the Snow Queen. Shining lights guide Clara and the Nutcracker Prince to the Land of Sweets, home of the Sugar Plum Fairy homeland of the Nutcracker Prince. Clara and the Prince are greeted by the many dancing inhabitants of the land and they dance for them. Soon it is time to depart and Clara and her new friends wave goodbye. Clara awakens to find herself once again sleeping beneath her Christmas tree, her wooden nutcracker ticked into the crook of her arm.