V6B 2P1, 649 Cambie Street The Nutcracker (Russian: Shchelkunchik) is a two-act classical ballet from 1892, conceived as a ballet-féerie (Russian: балет-феерия, romanized: balet-feyeriya) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination, featuring a Nutcracker doll. The story is adapted from Alexandre Dumas's 1844 short story The Nutcracker, which is itself a retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann's 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The initial choreographer was Marius Petipa, who had previously worked with Tchaikovsky on The Sleeping Beauty, with assistance from Lev Ivanov. Although the complete Nutcracker ballet did not achieve immediate success like the 20-minute Nutcracker Suite that Tchaikovsky premiered nine months earlier, it eventually became popular. Buy the Nutcracker Ballet tickets in advance for ideal seats!
