Review: PRINCESS LOCKEROOO’S THE NUTWAACKER at The Guggenheim Museum

Presented by Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Princess Lockerooo’s The NutWAACKer a seasonal reimagining that also serves as a declaration: dance is art, street styles belong on the world’s most revered stages, and in movement born of resistance, we find freedom.

Commissioned by Works & Process and performed in the iconic rotunda of the Guggenheim, this Works & Process Presents event offered audiences a rare and vital experience: for many in attendance, it was their first encounter with waacking—a dance form rooted in queer Black and Latinx communities of the 1970s. That fact alone underscores the urgency and importance of this evening. 

Under the visionary leadership of Princess Lockerooo (Samara Cohen-O’Neal), The NutWAACKer proves that investing in the elevation, preservation, and celebration of dance—particularly underrepresented street styles—is more than an artistic choice, but in fact, a cultural responsibility.

What makes The NutWAACKer resonate so deeply is its perfect alignment with the mission of Works & Process: championing artists at every stage of creation from studio to stage. Works & Process invites audiences into process, context, and conversation, collapsing the distance between artist and spectator.

That philosophy mirrors Princess Lockerooo’s own artistic ethos. As a dancer, choreographer, and dance historian, Lockerooo has dedicated her life to preserving waacking not as a trend, but as a living archive of joy, survival, and self-definition. During the evening’s opening she presented a Waacking 101 to remind the audience that waacking was born as dance-as-resistance; a reclamation of space, identity, and theatricality during a time when queer communities were denied safety and visibility.

In a world that often prioritizes perfection, uniformity, and assimilation, The Nutwaacker insists we pursue authenticity.

Company Credits

CREATIVE TEAM

Book, Direction, and Choreography: Samara Cohen-O'Neal (Princess Lockerodo)

Assistant Choreographer and Contributing Choreographer: Alice Castro

Dance Captain: Fiona Tsang

Stage Manager: Stephanie Matthews

Production Manager: Diego Quintanar

Lighting Designers: Corrado Verini and Katie Whittemore

Sound Designer: Cosmo Dahl

Wardrobe Supervisor: Phyllis Smith

Assistant Audio Technician: Joe Pegorsch

Production Crew: Phil Raymond

CAST

Tomoe "Beasty" Carr as Clara / Clarence

Tytus Larue James Gibson-Jackson as Drosselmyer

Aché Richardson as Sugar Plum Daddy

Baby Byrne as Pigeon Queen / Mother

Michael "Nebz" Narine as Rat King / Father

Cesar De Assis as The Nutwaacker Eva Schmidt as Christmas Eve

Alice Castro as Waack Frost / Clara Understudy

MUSIC CREDITS

Original Score and Music Composed by Harold O'Neal

Original Songs Written by Samara Cohen-O'Neal and Harold O'Neal

The evening unfolded with glittering “The Masquerade Ball,” where we meet Clarence (played by Tomoe “Beasty” Carr), a non-binary youth struggling to feel at home, both within their family and within themselves. Clarence’s parents attempt to force them into wearing a dress for the annual holiday party, a version of gender expression that does not align with Clarence’s identity. 

Clarence runs away from home, and the story launches into Central Park, where Clarence encounters the city in all its chaotic, generous glory. Enter Drosselmeyer, played with fabulous comedic timing by Tytus Larue James Gibson-Jackson, a bench-sitting, joke-cracking New York archetype who becomes a guide, witness, and co-conspirator in Clarence’s journey toward selfhood.

Each character Clarence meets is rendered through a distinct dance language. Clarence meets characters such as the Rat King (played by Michael “Nebz” Narine) prowling the stage with ferocity and speed, his breaking vocabulary as sharp as it is menacing, The Nutwaacker (played by Cesar De Assis) strutting in with militant precision, high kicks, and fiery movement, and Christmas Eve (played by Eva Schmidt) who provides comedic relief with her campy burlesque-style dance performance to Santa Baby.

One of the most poignant emotional moments then comes with the Pigeon Queen’s (played by Baby Byrne) performance of “The Greatest Love of My Life,” articulating the complicated love between parent and child when the child’s identity is still unfolding. This emotional moment is then juxtaposed with Byrne’s fierce freestyle vogue performance with buoyant duckwalks, delicious drops, and hand choreography that evokes the freedom but precision of a flying bird.

For the grand finale, with swagger, warmth, and irresistible charisma, Sugar Plum Daddy (played by Aché Richardson) becomes both liberator and mirror, helping Clarence discover their own confidence, their own swag, and ultimately, their own trust in themselves.

Clarence’s journey culminates in a climactic dance battle—Clarence versus the Rat King. The earlier phrase of “never let a rat steal your joy” at the top of the production, seems highly relevant as Clarence must face their fears, and choose their joy, themselves. Once Clarence dons the bedazzled blazer with white tulle trim (the outfit they always wanted to wear to their parent’s holiday party) the transformation is complete. This is not costume as disguise, but costume as truth. And in that moment, we see Clarence expressing their most authentic self through dance.

Across the evening, a powerful throughline emerges: chosen family. Like so many holiday stories in the zeitgeist, from It’s a Wonderful Life to Home Alone, The NutWAACKer invites reflection. But instead of nostalgia alone, it offers something urgently modern: the affirmation that identity is discovered both within and among those who see us fully.

New York City itself becomes a main character with its dog walkers, fashion divas, breakdancers, pigeons, and yes, even its rats. This is a city where people find themselves, where outcasts become icons, where dreams are chased loudly, boldly, without apology. Princess Lockerooo captures through her story telling the inexplicable pull of New York and how the city and its people can electrify you on your happiest days and lift you up on your lowest ones.  In New York City, you find your community.

Technically, the production was extraordinary. The musicality of the movement was jaw-dropping—particularly the choreography during Silver Bells by DJ Santa & the Dance Squad, performed at a blistering disco tempo. The precision of the hand choreography, hitting every note at that speed, took the audience’s breath away.

Though the ensemble was small, the synchronization, attitude, and clarity of execution suggested a much larger force. One could easily imagine The NutWAACKer March expanded into a full ensemble spectacle on an Off-Broadway or Broadway stage for a holiday run with its syncopation multiplied tenfold into something even more grand.

What happened at the Guggenheim was rare. By the finale, as the cast surrounded us in the round and the lyrics rang out, “no one else but you can set yourself free,” the entire house was on its feet, clapping, and dancing.

This review is a call to action. We must invest more in dance. We must amplify street styles and elevate them to some of the biggest stages in the world. We must preserve dances of resistance with the same reverence we grant historical paintings, manuscripts, and monuments. The NutWAACKer is proof that dance is equal parts history and art form.

If there is any critique, it is only this: this show deserves to live beyond this single performance. The Nutwaacker’s original music, heartwarming storyline and exceptional choreography deserves more space, more bodies, and more funding in its next versioning.  

Princess Lockerooo and Works & Process are onto something extraordinary. With continued investment, this production has the potential to become a timeless modern holiday classic that teaches, uplifts, and reminds us all to “come as we are, feel the rhythm, and light up like a star.”

The NutWaacker ran at the Guggenheim December 12, 2025. For more information about Works & Process visit https://www.worksandprocess.org/ and for more information about Princess Lockerooo and upcoming productions visit https://www.princesslockerooo.com/.

Photo: Princess Lockerooo’s The NutWAACKer, a Works & Process Commission at Works & Process at Guggenheim New York, December 12, 2025. Featuring Eva Schmidt, Michael “Nebz” Narine, Tomoe “Beasty” Carr, Baby Byrne, Alice Castro, and Cesar De Assis. Photo: Works & Process/ Elyse Mertz