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The Nutcracker: A Christmas Carol at the National Theatre in Prague - Photo 3. Ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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Running Time
120 minutes
Performance Languages
Printed programme in English & Czech.
Dress Code
The theatre is a cultural institution. Acceptable attire ranges from smart casual to formal wear
Cast
Scrooge: Tomáš Kopecký, Marek Svobodník, Jiří Kodym, John Powers, Benjamin Husson
Bob Cratchit: Matěj Šust, Federico Ievoli, Mathias Deneux, Patrik Holeček, Paul Tudor Moldoveanu
Mrs. Cratchit: Miho Ogimoto, Nikola Márová, Aya Watanabe, Sophie Benoit, Kristýna Němečková, Evgeniya Victory Gonzalez
Clara Cratchit: Alina Nanu, Olga Bogoliubskaia, Marta Máchová Drastíková, Magdaléna Matějková, Irina Burduja, Alexandra Pera, Ayaka Fujii
Bobbie: Francesco Scarpato, Jonáš Dolník, Adam Zvonař, Giovanni Rotolo, Dmytro Tenytskyy
Devil: Matěj Šust, Federico Ievoli, Mathias Deneux, Patrik Holeček, Paul Tudor Moldoveanu
Christmas Fairy: Miho Ogimoto, Nikola Márová, Aya Watanabe, Sophie Benoit, Kristýna Němečková, Evgeniya Victory Gonzalez
Nutcracker: Francesco Scarpato, Jonáš Dolník, Adam Zvonař, Giovanni Rotolo, Dmytro Tenytskyy
Main Spanish dance: Giacomo De Leidi, Cornelia Seibold, Lenka Maříková, Zuzana Příhodová, Kristina Kornova, Marina Zhukovskaya, Louise Corpechot, Anna Dal Castello, Rebecca Mabin, Theodora Lehu, Laura Balogová Laušmanová
Main Russian dance: Veaceslav Burlac, Jakub Rasek, Younsik Kim, Roget Duart, Paul Irmatov, Robert Jerjen, Basil Schwerzmann
Main Chinesse dance: Minhee Kang
Colombine: Klara Jelinkova, Lenka Hrabovska, Daria Lazucova, Radka Plouharova, Morgane Lanoue
Harlequins: Renato De Leon, Samuel Price, Marek Kasparovsky, Jiri Wanka, Roger Cuadrado, Daniel Leger
Main Oriental dance: Maria Dorkova, Monika Hejdukova, Danilo Lo Monaco, Jiří Kodym
Main Walz-soli: Radka Zvonarova, Jakub Groot, Petr Strnad, Ondrej Novotny.
Production Team
Choreography: Youri Vŕmos
Staging: Joyce Cuoco, Youri Vŕmos, Alexey Afanasiev
Conductor: Sergey Poluektov, Václav Zahradník
Stage Design: Michael Scott
Costumes: Michael Scott
Ballet Master: Alexey Afanasiev, Michaela Černá, Jiří Kodym
Chorus master of the Kühn’s Children’s Choir: Jiří Chvála
Lights: Klaus Garditz.
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The Nutcracker: A Christmas Carol at the National Theatre

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Ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performance Dates
'The Nutcracker: A Christmas Carol' at the National Theatre is sold out for all performances in 2024.

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Performance Details
'The Nutcracker: A Christmas Carol' is staged annually at the National Theatre in Prague.

Tchaikovsky’s ballet is the highlight of the Christmas season for any ballet ensemble, and nowhere more so than in Prague.

Since its premiere in 1892, The Nutcracker has undergone many changes, both dramaturgical and choreographic, and its popularity amongst adults and children alike has grown consistently.

In this latest version, the Hungarian choreographer and former artistic director of Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf, Youri Vamos, was inspired by the timeless Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol.

The setting is 19th-century London, with Scrooge as the main character. His journey shows how the magic of Christmas can transform the human spirit.

This production will appeal to all generations. In blending the original Nutcracker storyline with the Dicken's classic, a new masterpiece has been created.

The National Theatre in Prague is a stunning neo-Renaissance building dating from 1868-83. For Czech people, it is the most important cultural institution in the country.

Below is a synopsis of 'The Nutcracker', the classic version . We have not altered it, to maintain the magic and surprise element of this latest version.

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Act I begins on Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum family’s home, where Herr and Frau Stahlbaum are hosting a big Christmas party. Their children, Clara and Fritz, greet the guests and dance along to the festive music. Much to the children’s joy, Drosselmeyer, their godfather, arrives to the party. Drosselmeyer is an expert toy maker and presents life-sized wind-up dolls as entertainment. The guests are impressed by the dancing dolls, applauding Drosselmeyer’s latest creation.

Drosselmeyer gives the children special gifts, in particular a wooden Nutcracker doll for Clara. Fritz, jealous that Clara’s present is better than his, breaks the doll in anger. Drosselmeyer consoles Clara and fixes the Nutcracker for her.

At the end of the party, the guests leave and Clara and Fritz are put to bed. However Clara is concerned about her gift and sneaks down to the Christmas tree to see her Nutcracker. The clock strikes midnight and Clara is startled to see mice run around in the room. As her Nutcracker grows life-sized, an army of gingerbread soldiers are summoned by him to fight against the mice and the Mouse King. Tin soldiers and other dolls begin to join the Nutcracker in battle, attending to the wounded and fighting the Mouse King’s troops.

The Nutcracker’s army is outnumbered and begin to lose. The Nutcracker is wounded and the Mouse King advances on him. Clara takes off her slipper and throws it at the Mouse King, enabling the Nutcracker to kill the Mouse King. At the Mouse King’s defeat, the mice retreat with the body and the Nutcracker is transformed into a real Prince. He takes Clara by the hand and leads her through a pine forest, along dancing snowflakes.

Act II
The Prince takes Clara to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Land of Sweets, where they explain how the Mouse King was defeated. The Sugar Plum Fairy summons Spanish chocolate, Arabian coffee, Chinese tea and other delicacies to dance for the Prince and Clara as a celebration. At the end, the Sugar Plum Fairy dances with the Prince. As they perform the final waltz, the Prince and Clara are crowned as rulers of the kingdom.

Clara then awakens in bed on Christmas morning, clutching her wooden Nutcracker.