Birmingham Royal Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER Comes to Birmingham Hippodrome and The Royal Albert Hall

This Christmas, Birmingham Royal Ballet will present two beloved productions of The Nutcracker in both Birmingham and London.

Sir Peter Wright's classic production of The Nutcracker, created especially for Birmingham Royal Ballet and often referred to as the finest in the world, returns to Birmingham Hippodrome from Friday 21 November running through to Saturday 13 December, marking 35 years since its world premiere at the theatre in 1990.

The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall will then play from Monday 29 - Wednesday 30 December in a production created especially for the splendour of its magnificent setting.

Paul James, Birmingham Royal Ballet Chief Executive said: “We are very proud to be celebrating this iconic production's 35th anniversary in Birmingham. Sir Peter Wright's The Nutcracker has been performed over 600 times here in Birmingham and enjoyed by well over one million people across the Midlands and the UK, many of whom saw it as children and now bring their own families – a testament to its continuing popularity in Birmingham.

“Talking of enduring popularity, this year we return to the magnificent Royal Albert Hall once again with our specially created version of this classic festive tale featuring an on-stage orchestra and stunning projections that envelop the world famous hall.” 

Gaynor Share, a regular Nutcracker in Birmingham audience member, said: “The first ballet I ever took my daughter to see was The Nutcracker in 2000 when she was eight years old and it opened her mind to the joy that is the ballet. She will be 33 this year and even if we don't attend any other performance in the year, we always attend The Nutcracker together.”   

BRB's inaugural Director, Sir Peter Wright celebrates his 99th birthday during this year's Birmingham run. Sir Peter gave the production to the people of Birmingham as a thank you for welcoming the company (formerly known as Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet) to the city, when it moved from London.

At her parents' lavish Christmas Eve party, Clara is given a mysterious Nutcracker Doll. Once all the guests have left, she sneaks downstairs to find her present and comes face-to-face with the fearsome King Rat, ready to do battle with the Nutcracker and his band of toy soldiers. As soon as King Rat is vanquished, Clara is whisked away on a magical adventure with the Nutcracker, travelling through to an enchanting kingdom where she is transformed into the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Sir Peter Wright's The Nutcracker is an enchanting wonderland of dancing snowflakes, a flying goose, magical Christmas trees and of course the Sugar Plum Fairy. There are 126 individual roles across 50 dances; the King Rat costume weighs 10 kilos; the Company get through just under 1 tonne of Dry Ice for the run of a performance; the production features the full company of 60 dancers who wear over 150 costumes, and finally, the famous Christmas tree transformation scene takes roughly 47 staff to complete.