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SYNOPSIS

ACT I

The Party Scene

On Christmas Eve, family and friends gather at the Silberhous’ home to celebrate the holiday. All the children are excited to receive Christmas gifts, especially Clara who is gifted a pair of pointe shoes. Clara and Fritz’s favorite uncle, Herr Drosselmeier arrives and quickly becomes the heart of the party, entertaining the children with mechanical dolls. The children are delighted and eagerly ask him for more. Drosselmeier has one more surprise and presents his favorite creation, the wooden Nutcracker. Clara immediately falls in love with the Nutcracker and begs Drosselmeier to make a life-sized Nutcracker. Disenchanted with his own gift, Fritz becomes jealous and breaks Clara’s Nutcracker. Herr Drosselmeier repairs him. Clara and her friends rock their dolls to sleep with a lullaby. Soon it is time for the traditional grandparents’ dance. With the children tired, the party winds down, and the guests depart. Clara and Fritz are escorted to their rooms and the Silberhaus family retires.

The Transformation

Too excited to sleep, Clara sneaks back to the living room to find her Nutcracker left under the Christmas tree and eventually falls asleep on the sofa. With the house quiet, the mice begin to appear. As the clock strikes midnight, Clara awakens to find her living room filled with mice! The despicable Rat King appears and Clara’s home fills with magic as the Christmas tree grows. Clara’s wish for a life-sized Nutcracker comes true and her Nutcracker Prince appears.

The Battle Scene

The Nutcracker Prince and his tiny soldiers battle the mischievous mice. The monstrous Mouse King fights the Nutcracker Prince and the battle intensifies. The Mouse King seems to have the upper hand until Clara, frightened, throws her slipper at him, enabling the Nutcracker Prince to slay the distracted Mouse King. The grateful Nutcracker Prince invites Clara to join him on a journey through the Magical Forest, where she is lead to the Kingdom of the Sweets.

ACT II

The Kingdom of the Sweets

Clara and the Nutcracker Prince arrive at the cloud-covered gates of the Kingdom of the Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy reigns. The Nutcracker Prince tells the court how Clara saved his life. In gratitude, the Sugar Plum Fairy presents Clara with a crown, and festivities commence in Clara’s honor. Showcasing international fair, Spanish Chocolate performs with passion, Arabian Coffee mesmerizes with flourish, Chinese Tea spiritedly dances, and a sweet French Marzipan Danse de Mirliton is performed. The spectacular Russian Troika entertains, followed by Flowers dancing a lilting waltz. The Rose Ballerina and the Nutcracker Prince honor Clara with a grand finale and the entire court joins in the finale.

Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker is based on the libretto by Alexandre Dumas père, titled The Tale of the Nutcracker, which is adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

https://www.bostonballet.org/stories/the-nutcracker-synopsis/