The Way Off Broadway Children's Theatre Celebrates The Holidays With The Return Of CLARA AND THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE

One of the staples of the holiday season is, without a doubt, The Nutcracker. As Christmas rolls around each year, countless productions of the classic Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ballet are performed around the world. The original production, with a score by Tchaikovsky and a story adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 18, 1892. One hundred twenty-four years later, The Nutcracker is an almost ingrained part of the holiday culture.

During the summer of 2012, Way Off Broadway's producers decided to adapt The Nutcracker into a musical stage production for the Children's Theatre. Not the first time Way Off Broadway turned a popular holiday story into a musical stage play, in 2005, the Children's Theatre at Way Off Broadway obtained the rights from Robert Barry to adapt his popular children's book, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, into a children's theatre musical.

Way Off Broadway's Clara and the Nutcracker Prince played to a sold out run during the 2012 holiday season. Four years later, the Children's Theatre's original production returns to the stage.

In Clara & the Nutcracker Prince, Clara is whisked away to the Land of Sweets where she must help the Nutcracker Prince stop the Mouse King and his mice army from stealing all of the candy in the land. On her enchanted journey, she meets many fanciful characters including a pair of comic Russian Bakers, dancing candy flutes, and, of course, the Sugar Plum Fairy. Set in the modern day, even before Clara travels to the Land of Sweets, she finds herself being entertained by a dancing Barbie Doll and G.I. Joe figure. And in the end, there is even a visit from Santa Claus himself.

Making her Children's Theatre debut is Kenzie DuMars in the title role of Clara, who joins original cast members Jessica Billones (Clara's Mother), Bill Kiska (Clara's Father and Vladimir), Sarah Melinda (Sugar Plum Fairy), and Jordan B. Stocksdale (Uncle Max and the Mouse King). Sam Buchanan, who in the original 2012 production, played Fritz, Clara's brother, will take on the role of the Nutcracker Prince in this year's staging. Rounding out the cast are Ariel Messeca as Dmitri and Keller Knight as Fritz.

Clara and the Nutcracker Prince was adapted for the stage by Bill Kiska from the work of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and E.T.A. Hoffmann, and is directed by Jordan B. Stocksdale.

The show runs November 19th through December 28th with performances every Saturday afternoon and the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month. Tickets are $17 per person for lunch and the show and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (301) 662-6600.

To learn more about Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, or any of Way Off Broadway's productions, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com.

The Children's Theatre at Way Off Broadway is a part of The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, which, under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, celebrated its 20th Anniversary Platinum Season in 2014. Since it first opened in 1995, the theatre has been a leader in the area's theatre community, proudly bringing both classic musicals, as well as regional and area premieres to the Frederick stage. Productions have included The Addams Family, Les Misérable, Sunset Boulevard, Legally Blonde, Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical, The Music Man, Jekyll & Hyde, Hairspray, South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Mel Brooks' The Producers, CATS,The Wedding Singer, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Annie, Bye Bye, Birdie, The King & I, ...Forum, Lend Me a Tenor, Joseph..., Blood Brothers, Mame, and 42nd Street. Way Off Broadway is also the home of a one-of-a-kind children's lunch theatre, offering entertainment for the entire family, giving children a chance to see their favorite characters live on stage. In addition to its regular season, the theatre produces a number of special events throughout the year including an annual Breakfast with Santa (and Mrs. Claus) and an interactive mysteries series. www.wayoffbroadway.com