Dec. 1-30, 2017 (Chicago): Joffrey Ballet returns to the Fair
Scott
Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet will be returning to the Columbian Exposition with their 2017 production of The Nutcracker, running from December 1 to 30 at the Auditorium Theater. This spectacular ballet by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon premiered in 2016 and invites the audience to … “journey inside Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair with Wheeldon’s critically acclaimed holiday masterpiece. When young Marie and her mother, a sculptress who is creating the fair’s iconic Statue of the Republic, host a holiday party, a surprise visit from the charming Great Impresario sets off a Christmas Eve dream of whirlwind romance and adventure. A must-see tradition boldly re-imagined for a new generation.”
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, in December of 1892, as workers in Chicago were constructing buildings and statues during the cold winter. In the new Joffrey version, young Marie and her mother (Polish immigrants) host a holiday party in their home (a worker’s shack) on the fairgrounds, Drosselmeier is now “The Impressario” (Daniel Burnham?) building the fair, and the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy is given to the golden Statue of the Republic. Instead of visiting the “Land of Sweets,” Marie tours the fairgrounds.
During the 2016 performances, the lobby of the Auditorium was adorned with 1893 World’s Fair decorations.
