The Nutcracker recommendations

To supplement our podcast episode about The Nutcracker, here are Jackie's research recommendations and Amelia's guide to available versions of the ballet:

Research Recommendations:

• “Nutcrackers and Forgotten History" by The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered
• “A Brief History of The Nutcracker: Tchaikovsky, Dumas, and Hoffmann” by Odd Quartet
• “How The Nutcracker Conquered America” by And Now They Sing

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Available full-length productions of The Nutcracker ballet (with commentary from Amelia Smith)​

​The Nutcracker by Mikhail Baryshnikov, filmed for television in 1977
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This production unfortunately is not the most racially sensitive, but the duet sequences between the Prince, played by Baryshnikov, and Clara, played by then 25-year-old Gelsey Kirkland, are beautiful to watch, and show an innocent but very romantic relationship.

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture 1986 Pacific Northwest Ballet production, designed by Maurice Sendak
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The overall design of the production is unique and wonderfully strange, and it is noteworthy for the fact that Sendak and director Kent Stowell sought to make their version of the ballet more faithful to Hoffman's story than previous versions.

​This production has some questionable depictions of non-European cultures, particularly the "seraglio" in the second act, although according to Sendak's design notes, the setting and costuming choices here are more of a commentary on 19th-century Europeans' cultural appropriation and exoticizing of Middle Eastern stereotypes, not necessarily the culture itself. There is also some strange subtext to Drosselmeier and Clara's relationship that may be uncomfortable for some viewers.

The Nutcracker, George Balanchine's version performed by New York City Ballet in 1993

​Starring Macauley Culkin as The Nutcracker Prince, with narration by Christopher Plummer

​This is a classic production of the ballet, although it does suffer from the problems of white dancers performing the "Arabian" and "Chinese" dances, and the costuming and choreography of the latter perpetuating antiquated stereotypes that are not respectful or reflective of Chinese culture. The first act is quite enjoyable, and individual dances in the second act may still be helpful or interesting to view on their own or compare with other productions.