ACT I
The Party Scene
Family and friends gather at the Silberhaus’ home to celebrate the holiday. The children are excited to receive Christmas gifts, and Clara Silberhaus is especially delighted with a pair of pointe shoes. Clara and her brother Fritz’s favorite uncle, Herr Drosselmeier, arrives late. In his usual manner, Drosselmeier becomes the heart of the party, entertaining the children with a toy theatre and a mechanical ballerina and harlequin dolls. The children are delighted and eagerly ask him for more. Drosselmeier has one more surprise up his sleeve as he presents his favorite creation, the wooden Nutcracker. To his disappointment the children are not interested, with the exception of Clara, who immediately falls in love with the Nutcracker and begs Drosselmeier to make it life-size. Disenchanted with his own gift, Fritz becomes jealous and breaks Clara’s Nutcracker.
Drosselmeier repairs him and Clara and her friends rock their dolls to sleep with a lullaby. Soon it is time for the traditional grandparents’ dance. With the children tired, the party winds down, and the guests depart. The Governess escorts Clara and Fritz to their rooms and the Silberhaus family retires.
The Transformation
Clara is too excited to sleep as she recalls the evening’s party and her Nutcracker left under the Christmas tree. She sneaks back to the living room to find him and falls asleep on the sofa. With the house quiet, the mice begin to appear. The clock strikes midnight and the mice have their own party. Clara awakens to find her living room filled with mice! Drosselmeier appears to rescue Clara and he magically makes the house and the Christmas tree grow. He then grants Clara’s wish for a life-size Nutcracker, and her Nutcracker Prince appears.
The Battle Scene
The Nutcracker Prince and his tin soldiers battle the mischievous mice. The monstrous Mouse King appears and the battle intensifies. The Mouse King seems to have the upper hand when Clara, frightened, throws her slipper at him, enabling the Nutcracker Prince to slay the distracted Mouse King.
The Snow Scene
The grateful Nutcracker Prince invites Clara to join him on a journey through the Magical Forest, where they meet the Snow King and Queen and see the Snowflakes dance. Clara and the Nutcracker Prince continue on their journey as they travel on a cloud to the Kingdom of the Sweets.
