"In your heart forever": Birmingham theatergoers and ballet dancers remain in love with ‘The Nutcracker’

It would be an understatement to say “The Nutcracker,” with its unforgettable score by Tchaikovsky, is popular in America.

Dance companies stage hundreds of productions of the ballet each holiday season, and there are five productions in Birmingham in 2019, including two traveling shows.

Stephanie Rangel, artistic director of Magic City Nutcracker, said the piece “touches the hearts of the young and old alike and … truly personifies the spirit of Christmas.”

“The Nutcracker” has become “an American staple,” said choreographer Cindy Free, director of Birmingham Ballet.

To learn why “The Nutcracker” has such an enduring appeal, Iron City Ink reached out to three local companies presenting the ballet this year: Magic City Nutcracker, Birmingham Ballet and Alabama Ballet.

We learned the ballet continues to draw a diverse audience — men and women, young and old — and provides a colorful, entertaining holiday spectacle. And “The Nutcracker” is perhaps more than just a fun, nostalgic confection, but a piece that — like all great theatre — has the ability to touch us deeply and reinforce our most important values.

The ballet premiered in Russia in 1892 with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, who worked closely with Tchaikovsky.

The libretto was adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” which was updated in the 1840s by Alexandre Dumas.

The story’s emotional appeal is one reason hundreds of companies stage “The Nutcracker.”

”It’s a heartwarming story about a young girl at Christmas who receives a magical toy soldier doll, but more importantly, it is an enduring tale about hope and faith and courage,” Rangel said.

“The Nutcracker” is also hard-wired into the holiday season, Free said. “Just like Christmas, ‘The Nutcracker’ is something everybody looks forward to and does not want to miss,” she said.

The piece’s sheer popularity is another practical reason for ballet companies to offer their own productions. “Companies can count on having an audience, and ‘The Nutcracker’ is a big part of their budget each year,” Free said.

For many troupes, “The Nutcracker” is the “bread and butter” production each season, said Ashlyn McClellan, public relations and marketing manager for Alabama Ballet.

Area ballet companies see broad audiences when they present the show. ”Our audience goes across the spectrum, from 4- and 5-year-olds all the way to grandparents,” McClellan said.

Tchaikovsky’s score plays a huge role in the ballet’s popularity. “It is the kind of music that sticks with you,” Free said. “You will remember and sing it, and everybody remembers it when they hear it.”

The music’s familiarity is part of its appeal, Rangel said. The “Waltz of the Flowers” and the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and the pas de deux are “timeless pieces of music that we have heard a hundred times but still evoke that sense of wonder in our hearts if we let it,” she said.

The ballet taps into deep emotions, Free said. “It’s a family story, and it’s something that brings us back to our childhood because it is centered around Clara,” she said.

“It crosses generations because everyone remembers going to see it as a child or taking their own children, and people of all ages can enjoy it,” McClellan said.

It’s not just audiences who fall in love with “The Nutcracker,” Free said. “For the dancers, it is like revisiting something special each year.”

“They have grown up in the ballet, and if you have … it’s in your heart forever,” she said.

Audience members seem to enjoy “The Nutcracker” in different ways at different ages.

“When you are young, you enjoy the magic of it,” Free said. “You see things happening on stage, and you imagine, ‘That could be me.’ When you are older, you reminisce. You are touched by it.”

“It’s escapism and a way to make memories,” McClellan said.

“The Nutcracker” may also hold a deeper significance. It certainly helps introduce many young people to quality live performance.

The piece also reflects some of our deepest values, in part due to the ballet’s vivid depiction of the magical adventures of Clara, the young protagonist, according to Rangel.

“We develop a sense of faith in the goodness of our fellow man, and through this tale of young Clara and her Nutcracker Prince we see good triumph over evil in the form of the Rat King,” she said. “We also see Clara live out her dreams as she travels to the Kingdom of Sweets and she meets new friends from far-off lands.”

Clara “is the embodiment of all the values we hold dear: faith, hope, love, kindness and courage,” Rangel said.

Even Tchaikovsky’s score may help us tap into something deeper than mere nostalgia or entertainment, she said.

“We can hum the music by heart, and it reminds us that there is beauty in the world and that especially at Christmastime it’s important to take moments to celebrate and be thankful for our many blessings, and to remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves,” she said.