The Nutcracker

Birmingham Royal Ballet bring The Nutcracker back to the Birmingham Hippodrome from Friday 20 November to Saturday 12 December 2026, running on the Main Stage. It's the production most of us associate with the city's Christmas season, and it's a big one: Tchaikovsky's score is performed live by the 60-strong Royal Ballet Sinfonia, so you're getting a full orchestra in the room rather than a recording.

The story is the one you know. Set on Christmas Eve, it follows Clara, who's given a mysterious Nutcracker doll by the magician Drosselmeyer at her family's party. After sneaking downstairs that night, she's whisked away by the Nutcracker to an enchanting kingdom where she's transformed into the Sugar Plum Fairy. The production is staged before a 30-foot Christmas tree, and it's held up well over the years: The Sunday Times said 'no other version comes close', and The Guardian called it 'still the best Nutcracker on offer in the UK'.

Because the run is so long, the casting rotates across the different dates. The Sugar Plum Fairy is shared by Céline Gittens, Momoko Hirata, Yu Kurihara, Sofia Liñares, Miki Mizutani, Katherine Ochoa, Beatrice Parma, Yaoqian Shang and Lucy Waine. The Prince is played by Enrique Bejarano Vidal, Tzu-Chao Chou, Mathias Dingman, Haoliang Feng, Yasiel Hodelín, Riku Ito, Mason King, Max Maslen and Lachlan Monaghan. Clara is taken by Olivia Change-Clarke, Rosanna Ely, Reina Fuchigami, Alisa Garkavenko, Maïlène Katoch, Sofia Liñares, Katherina Ochoa, Rachele Pizzillo and Sophie Walters. The orchestra is led by conductors Giovanni Fanizza, Thomas Jung, Subin Kim, Paul Murphy and Yi Wei. Choreography is by Peter Wright and Lev Ivanov, with designs by John Macfarlane and lighting by David Finn.

Practical bits: it runs around 2 hours 10 minutes including an interval, and the age guidance is 5+ (no under-3s admitted). There are audio described, signed and relaxed performances available, with a touch tour starting at 12:15pm. Tickets start from £26, with price bands going up to £55.