From more characters to a new ending, here are 8 changes to see in OKC Ballet's 'The Nutcracker'

Brandy McDonnell, Oklahoman
·7 min read

Oklahoma City Ballet is keeping it classic with its annual outing to the Land of Sweets.

But fans who make it a holiday tradition to attend the company's seasonal staging of "The Nutcracker" will notice several changes to this year's production, continuing through Dec. 18 at the Civic Center Music Hall.

"The sets and costumes will be familiar, but the choreography will be all different. The storyline and the tradition will remain largely the same; it will just be a different interpretation," new OKC Ballet Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye promised earlier this fall.

On the 130th anniversary of the ballet's 1892 premiere in St. Petersburg, Russia, OKC Ballet's "The Nutcracker" remains largely faithful to E.T.A. Hoffmann's tale of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." The seasonal fantasy centers on a girl named Clara Stahlbaum who receives a handcrafted nutcracker as a Christmas gift from the enigmatic family friend Herr Drosselmeyer, a toymaker and magician. The gift proves the catalyst for a fairytale adventure with fanciful characters ranging from a mouse army and a spellbound Nutcracker Prince to a majestic Sugar Plum Fairy and an assortment of dancing delicacies.

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The Kissy Doll and Soldier Doll have expanded roles in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."
The Kissy Doll and Soldier Doll have expanded roles in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."

Each performance again features musicians from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and singers from Canterbury Voices gorgeously performing Pyotr Tchaikovsky's iconic score live.

Plus, OKC Ballet is offering its first sensory-friendly performance with its 6 p.m. Dec. 15 show, and dance devotees can enjoy tasty treats, a special performance and a visit with Santa at the annual Nutcracker Tea from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 17 in the Civic Center's Meinders Hall of Mirrors.   

"While there have been as many interpretations of 'The Nutcracker' as there have been performances, there's really a familiarity and a sense of coming home each year when a company gets to present 'The Nutcracker' to the community," Jolicoeur-Nye told The Oklahoman.

Here are some of the changes ticketholders can expect to see at OKC's Ballet's new production of "The Nutcracker":

The Dew Drop Fairy, pictured front and center, is one of the newly added characters in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."
The Dew Drop Fairy, pictured front and center, is one of the newly added characters in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."

1.  The Dew Drop Fairy and Snow royalty make their magical return

This year's production marks a comeback for a few magical characters who have been omitted from OKC Ballet's "The Nutcracker" for the past several years.

Making their royal return are the Snow King and Queen (elegantly played by Kara Troester Blythe and Daniel Cooke during the Dec. 10 opening-night performance), who regally reign over the dancing snowflakes during the enchanting "Waltz of the Snowflakes," the beloved scene that closes Act I by transforming the stage into a winter wonderland of falling snow.

Another returning favorite makes her bow in Act II: The sparkling Dew Drop Fairy (portrayed with lighter-than-mist grace by Principal Dancer Autumn Klein on opening night) dances with Clara and the blossoms during the "Waltz of the Flowers."

Olivia McGivney-Francis, right, plays the newly added character of Marie Stahlbaum in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker." From left are Jameson Keating as Herr Stahlbaum and Amelia Aroneo as the maid.
Olivia McGivney-Francis, right, plays the newly added character of Marie Stahlbaum in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker." From left are Jameson Keating as Herr Stahlbaum and Amelia Aroneo as the maid.

2. Young performer marks a breakthrough for representation

Along with her mischievous younger brother, Fritz (Noah Rindler), Clara gets a little sister named Marie in the Act I party scenes. Olivia McGivney-Francis, 9, is playing Marie at all performances, and like the young actor, the character is a wheelchair user.

A few years ago, Olivia was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia, a rare degenerative genetic condition that affects some of the body's nerves. Olivia often uses a wheelchair in her everyday life, although she is using a vintage version in "The Nutcracker."

From the wheelchair, she greets party guests with the rest of family, rocks a baby doll gifted to her from Herr Drosselmeyer and watches the mysterious toymaker perform sleight of hand.

Jolicoeur-Nye created the role of Marie for Olivia, not only fulfilling the girl's dream of appearing in "The Nutcracker" but also giving people with disabilities a chance to be represented on one of OKC's most prestigious stages.

3. A mischief of baby mice join the battle

Did you know that a group of mice is sometimes called a mischief? The term definitely fits the new-look battle scene in OKC Ballet's "The Nutcracker."

Instead of just one Baby Mouse, the cheeky mice soldiers and their strutting Mouse King are joined by a mischief of scurrying baby mice. They are among the 100 students from OKC Ballet's Yvonne Chouteau School who are sharing the stage with the company's professional dancers during the run of the cherished Christmas show.

Although my 12-year-old daughter Brenna missed the Baby Mouse of past productions — the cute little troublemaker famously busted through the head of a toy drum during the battle scenes — this year's adorable mischief of little mice drew many involuntary "aahs" from the opening-night audience.

Lily Quinton plays Young Clara Stahlbaum and Benjamin Tucker plays Drosselmeyer in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."
Lily Quinton plays Young Clara Stahlbaum and Benjamin Tucker plays Drosselmeyer in Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."

4. Herr Drosselmeyer and other characters conjure up expanded roles

Along with expanding the mischief of mice, Jolicoeur-Nye's new take on "The Nutcracker" also expands the roles for Clara's brother Fritz as well as the Kissy Doll and Solider Doll, a pair of life-size playthings Herr Drosselmeyer presents at the party.

But Drosselmeyer himself arguably gets the biggest boost in stage time, not only joining the battle against the Mouse King's army but also crossing over into the Land of Sweets, where he greets Clara in Act II.

5. New 'Nutcracker' boasts twice the Clara per show

Instead of one dancer filling the lead role throughout the whole show, each performance this year features two dancers playing the part of Clara.

One of OKC Ballet's student dancers starts the show as Young Clara in the party and battle scenes.

In the commotion surrounding the Nutcracker's victory — with her help — over the Mouse King, the girl faints and collapses on the stage. She awakens as grown-up Clara — beautifully played by soloist Mayu Odaka at the Dec. 10 evening show — to discover that her magically enlivened life-sized Nutcracker has transformed into a handsome prince who looks just like Drosselmeyer's assistant, Hans (nimbly embodied on opening night by soloist Alejandro González).

6. Refreshed 'Nutcracker' dodges cultural stereotypes

Jolicoeur-Nye vowed that this year's "Nutcracker" would take a bite out of the cultural stereotypes often included in the show's second act, and he seems to have taken care to dodge some of the most egregious caricatures in his new choreography. (Fortunately, OKC Ballet's costumes for the Chinese tea dancers were already missing cartoonish trappings like rice paddy hats and geisha hair pieces that have unfortunately been common among American ballet companies.)

Rather than identifying them based on the culture they've often been associated with, the program for this year's production labels the Act II dances by the treats they're depicting — Chocolate, Coffee, Tea and the like.

It's part of a wider effort in the performing arts to reconsider how people of color are portrayed in classic titles. OKC Ballet's John Kirkpatrick Executive Director Jo Lynne Jones is among the industry leaders who has signed the “Final Bow for Yellowface” pledge, committing to "eliminating outdated and offensive stereotypes of Asians (Yellowface) on our stages.”

The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier (Kara Troester Blythe and Daniel Cooke) perform during Act II of Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."
The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier (Kara Troester Blythe and Daniel Cooke) perform during Act II of Oklahoma City Ballet's 2022 production of "The Nutcracker."

7. New artistic director shows a penchant for athletic choreography

Although local audiences are still getting to know his style, Jolicoeur-Nye shows a penchant for athletic choreography with his vision of "The Nutcracker," from a gingerbread cookie kid who chases away a pair of pesky clowns with a stage-spanning series of backflips to the prince's high-flying exclamation point on the always crowd-pleasing Trepak (Russian folk dance) sequence.

Winner of Outstanding Choreographer at 2017's Youth American Grand Prix and Best Choreographer at 2019's World Ballet Art Competition Grand Prix, his version of the Christmas classic boasts an abundance of ceiling-scraping leaps, impossibly dizzying spins and impressively acrobatic feats.

8. Reimagined 'Nutcracker' gets a different ending

Although much of the storytelling structure remains the same, OKC Ballet's reimagined "Nutcracker" has a different, less dramatic ending.

The previous production closed with a sleeping Clara being transported back home, where she awakens and wonders if her adventures were all just a dream. She is amazed to find the Sugar Plum Fairy's wand in her room, indicating that the magic was real.

While I won't spoil the new ending, I will say it didn't put the same lump in my throat that the former magic moment always did.

OKC BALLET'S 'THE NUTCRACKER'

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Ballet is adding characters and a new ending to 'The Nutcracker'