The Boys' Guide to PNB's Nutcracker

When my husband and I took our boys on a whirlwind five day trip to visit Grandpa in New York City in early November this year, somewhere in my fantasy parallel universe, we took Alessandro (6) and Luca (4) to see the new musical, Billy Elliott. I adore the movie about a young boy who just has to dance ballet; I love the message it sends to boys (and girls) to follow their bliss despite the odds.

Alas, that dream didn't come true, but taking them to Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of Nutcracker is the next best thing. For the uninitiated—and I know you are out there—PNB's Nutcracker is perhaps most famous for its sets and costumes designed by children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are). His books were a staple in homes of children of the 60s and 70s, including mine, and his somewhat warped In the NIght Kitchen and the quartet of books in his Nutshell Library are now staples in my kids' literary repitoire.

Even though some might think of the ballet as a sea of little girls in their red velvet dresses and black patent shoes, I am here to tell you to bring your boys to Nutcracker. Maybe it's something about the those recurring grumpy/mischevious boys in Sendak's books that carries over to this production in spirit, at least, but there is something about PNB's Nutcracker that makes it feel like a boy's Nutcracker to me. When you live in a house overrun with superhero-and Indiana Jones-play like I do (let me put in in perspective: our family vacation this year was at ComicCon, the big annual superhero/sci fi convention in San Diego), a little ballet goes a long way to balance things out.

Here's my advice if it's your son's first show: You know your kid best, but I was able to take both of mine when they were 4. Start playing the music about a week in advance. The music in the first act is kind of slow for my boys, but the second is where all the action and most of the leave-them-humming-a tune compositions are. Our boys practically start break dancing when they hear the Dervishes' song (they know it as the "Bum-bada-bum-bum-bum-bum" song).

Brush up on Where the Wild Things Are if you haven't read it in a while; some of the creatures' cousins make surprise appearances in the show. Since I had seen it several times, it was fun to tell them to watch for certain things. Explain that a ballet is like a play, but the story is told through music and dance; the dancers don't talk  (this is a good chance to remind them that neither should they).  This also avoids that "Why isn't anyone talking" questions my oldest asked at the top of his voice when he first saw it at age four. Tell them to listen to how the music sometimes imitates actions on stage. Luca loved the dophins jumping in and out of the water alongside the boat as Clara and her prince sail on the sea and we now sing that "duet" together.

On show day, dress them up. Yeah, yeah, this is Seattle, land of fleece, but dressing up for the ballet is part of the experience (I am in love with those easy zipper ties for boys this year, by the way. Got a great one at good ol' JC Penney's.). When you get to the theater, the first thing you should do is grab a booster cushion  down near the coat check (get their early, they often run out). Avoid big drinks at intermission if your kids have small bladders like mine, but do spring for the fancy mouse king sugar cookie. Leave time to take pictures with the giant statues of the characters on the main floor of the entry.

If this is your son's second time around, repeat all of the above steps, but if you have a nervous nellie like I do, be prepared to vacate the premisise during the battle scene between the Nutcracker, toy soldiers and the mice that climaxes in a couple of loud cannon booms. Alessandro nearly had a panic attack leading up to the scene and we spent the better part of it hiding out in the bathroom. Thankfully, McCaw Hall pipes music everywhere during the show so we made it back in time for the crowdpleaser expanding Christmas tree scene (make mental note for next time: loud noises don't until they roll the cannons out). Thankfully, this is a show you can leave and come back when you're ready, and not have to be banished to the lobby until intermission. 

The boys' reactions? Hours of ballet break dancing after the show, with the following favorite moments:
Luca: "When the Wild Thing was close to the water".
Alessandro: "The dude with the red hat—that's a Wild Thing too."

In its usual downplayed style, PNB is celebrating a huge milestone this year—the 25th anniversary of this landmark production. If your reason for not seeing PNB's Nutcracker yet is because you've seen it elsewhere, I'm here to tell you that every performance you've seen before doesn't count. This is the one to see. It's the kind of production that, when you see it for the first time, you are absolutely compelled to  tell everyone you run into to go see it. The giant expanding tree. The lush, multilayered sets. The enormous clenched jaw. Fluffy ballerinas twirling in snow. It truly is a story book come to life  and I still get verklempt every time I see it. (Believe those cheesy ads on Warm 106.9).

Though I have seen it seven times now, this time the colors somehow looked brighter this year, the music was fuller. Seeing it with my kids and through their eyes had a lot to do with that, I'm sure. But I think taking two hours out in the darkness and surrendering to the fantasy amidst the stress of holiday planning stress played a big part, too. Now go out and get your tickets. Only 18 more days left to see it.

ps. I can't believe I didn't know this, but PNB has a children's ballet series. Next up, Pinnoccio Feb 7 and 8. Visit pnb.org for details.