Fri 12/3 @ 11AM & 8PM

Sun 12/5 @ 1PM

It’s that time of year again: little girls everywhere get to don their prettiest party dress and shiniest patent leather shoes and head out with mom & dad (or grandparents) to bask in the holiday magic of the classic Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker. And if you want to see this full-length, two-act work in its full splendor, you’ll want to see the Cleveland Ballet’s version which will be performed five times this weekend at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace Theatre.

This version was choreographed by Cleveland Ballet co-founder/artistic director (and former Cleveland Ballet dancer) Gladisa Guadalupe, to the familiar music by Tchaikovsky. It brings all the spectacle to the stage: the opening party scene, the giant Christmas tree, the war between the wooden soldiers and the mice, the enchanting snowflakes, and the second act filled with dancers from round the world (China, Arabia, Spain, Russia) and of course, the Sugar Plum Fairy, every ballerina’s “plum” role.

This production will feature the Cleveland Ballet’s entire company, plus more than 60 students from its school, along with scenery by Cameron Caley Michalak and Jeffrey McLaughlin; costume design and construction by Guadalupe and the costume shop of Cleveland Ballet; and lighting design by Dennis Dugan.

For tickets go to playhousesquare.org/events/detail/the-nutcracker.