Event

Nutcracker Burlesque 2014

Now a 12 year Portland tradition, The Nutcracker Burlesque is a witty retelling of the classic story. Set in a contemporary world, a holiday party for an IT company is mistakenly held at a dive bar on the outskirts of town. Here we meet the Rat King, a tough guy with a heart of gold and the Nutcracker Prince, a popular but pretentious employee at the IT company. The two men vie for the affection of a bartender named Clara. After a small but unfortunate mishap, it is Clara's dreams that take the audience member on adventure after adventure through the night.

The Nutcracker Burlesque takes the holiday tale and transforms it into something sultry and modern. Performed with a live band at the St. Lawrence Arts Center on Munjoy Hill in Portland, the show features a wide array of dance genres including ballet, disco, swing, and classic burlesque. The music is adapted from the Nutcracker Ballet to fit a keyboard, drum set, electric guitar, and bass. Some patrons will recognize their favorite standards reinvented as Tchaikovsky never could have imagined.

Tickets for this production of The Nutcracker Burlesque will go on sale at 12:01am, November 28. The entire run of the show is typically sold out in a few days, so planning to purchase tickets on "Black Friday" is encouraged. Sponsored by: St. Lawrence Arts Center, Drouin Dance Center, Yelp, The Portland Phoenix, and Gorham Self Storage.

Nutcracker Burlesque, at St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St. Portland, ME. December 12-14 and 17-20 at 8pm. Adults only. Tickets $18, available Nov 28, at www.vividmotion.org through Brown Paper Tickets or by calling 1-800-838-3006.