Since its American debut in 1992, The
Hard Nut has been considered an antidote for those weary of
more conventional productions of The Nutcracker. Sassy
and provocative, the production is set in the swinging sixties,
the sets and costumes are comic-book bright, and irreverence abounds.
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photo: Peter daSilva
With its air of a playful
homage, The Hard Nut does not completely abandon the premise
of the classic Nutcracker. Although the party scene is
far more raucous than usual, including conga-lines and go-go
dancing, the much-celebrated rat attack still highlights the
first act, and Marie still kills the Rat King with her slipper.
However, the tin soldiers
have been replaced with GI Joes and in the ensuing "Waltz
of the Snowflakes," those fabulous legs on the flurries
belong to both male and female snowflakes.
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photo: C. Ashmore
Surprisingly, in Act II, Mr. Morris'
version is closer to the original premise of E.T.A. Hoffman's
fairy tale than any Nutcracker. Hoffman's story, titled
"The Nutcracker and the Mouseking", includes a supernaturally
hard nut offered by an evil rat queen in challenge to Herr Drosselmeier
(Marie's mysterious godfather), who then assigns the Nutcracker
Prince the difficult job of cracking it, hence, the title The
Hard Nut. In Act II, Marie and the Prince go around the world
looking for a way to open the stubborn sweetmeat. During their
travels they encounter characters that audience members will recognize
from the Sugarplum Fairy's Land of the Sweets.
In sticking to a more original version
of E.T.A. Hoffman's plot, Mr. Morris introduces a darker element
to this holiday pageant. And although no one will argue that it
is a fun show, it is certainly an adult one. In her 1992 review,
Joan Acocella summed up the sweet and tart aspects of the production
when she wrote, "this brassy, acrid, nose-thumbing Nutcracker,
is a serious moral tale, full of hope."
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