Enjoy Colorado Ballet’s Performance of The Nutcracker

Photo by Rachel Neville

A realm of sweets presided over by a fairy in toe shoes. Evil rodents brandishing swords. A fin-de-siècle Russian import may seem an unlikely U.S. Christmas classic, but Tchaikovsky’s fantastical fairy-tale ballet with its wooden nutcracker prince and brave girl heroine has proven staying power. The Colorado Ballet—then just established as the not-yet-fully-professional Colorado Concert Ballet—premiered “The Nutcracker” to sold-out houses in 1961, and the mysterious Herr Drosselmeyer, prima Sugar Plum Fairy and scores of local kids in ballet slippers have been Colorado must-sees for ringing in the season ever since. The 2022 performance boasts the lavish new sets and costumes that debuted last season after the Colorado Ballet famously jettisoned its battle-worn 33-year-old gear and kept 18 costume shops across the country busy through the heart of the pandemic. Fairy tale indeed.

Colorado Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” November 26-December 24, 2022, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, tickets at coloradoballet.org.