Long Beach Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER Celebrates 37th Year

The Long Beach Ballet continues its annual holiday tradition, for the 37th year this December, of presenting The Nutcracker at the Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center for seven performances from December 14 to 22. As always, the beloved production bursts with special guest performances and additional surprise treats the entire family will love. In 2018, Goldstar audiences voted the Long Beach Ballet's The Nutcracker as the "best-loved" production in the nation.

The Long Beach Ballet's Artistic Director David Wilcox has pulled out all the stops for this 37th production of the classical tale. This production boasts a full symphony orchestra, a flying sleigh, a real live horse, on-stage pyrotechnics, and a cast of over 200. Former Disney designers Elliot Hessayon and Scott Schaffer created the enchanting scenery, Australian artist Adrian Clark designed the detailed costumes, and renowned magician Franz Harary created the special effects, including a magical costume switch, involving Clara instantly changing from her nightgown into a gleaming ball gown.

This holiday season also marks the Long Beach Ballet's third annual Nutcracker VIP Land of Dreams Luncheon on Sunday, December 22nd, 2018. This elegant, elaborate, family-oriented pre-performance lunch banquet will be hosted below the Terrace Theatre in the Seaside Ballroom. Guests will have the opportunity to meet Long Beach Ballet Artistic Director David Wilcox, and take pictures with Orion, the Nutcracker Prince's real white stallion!

The luncheon also includes wine, children's menu and exclusive VIP seating. The Nutcracker Luncheon is planned and executed by Susan Malecki, former Guild Chair of the San Francisco Ballet. This year the luncheon can be purchased in conjunction with tickets for any of the seven Nutcracker performances, but can only be reserved by calling the Long Beach Ballet at (562) 426-4622. Tickets go on sale to the general public October 7th. For complete information, visit www.LongBeachNutcracker.com.

The Long Beach Ballet is the only ballet company in Southern California which performs The Nutcracker with a full symphony orchestra and is one of only two ballet companies in the country that use two harps for their production to ensure the performance sounds exactly as Tchaikovsky intended it to sound.

Wilcox is excited to present a special rendition of the beloved Holiday tale. A former ballet virtuoso himself, he now brings his power, strength, grace and artistry to the production, which features both new surprises and classic entertainment. "I like using the beauty of the classical art form of ballet, which has taken 500 years to develop to the level that it is today, to form a production that's enticing and exciting. It has pyrotechnics, it has magic; it's got everything I can think of to make it thrilling. This production is not just for people who like ballet. You can hate ballet and you'll still like this production," he adds.

The Long Beach Ballet's Nutcracker has been seen by millions of people worldwide, including live audiences totaling more than 400,000 in Long Beach, 70,000 in Pasadena, hundreds of thousands throughout Asia (as performed by the Chinese Guangzhou Ballet), and millions more on television.

Show times are Friday, December 20th at 7:30 pm; Saturdays, December 14th and 21st at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Sundays, December 15th and 22nd at 2:00 pm at the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, located at 300 E Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.

Tickets can be purchased through the Long Beach Ballet "Hotline" at (877) 852-3177, and the Long Beach Performing Arts Center Main Box Office, and online through the Long Beach Ballet website, www.LongBeachNutcracker.com. Family-friendly ticket prices start at $34.00 - $78.00 with a special VIP Package also available. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

Photo Credit: Katie Ging

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