Indianapolis Ballet and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra present their annual holiday production of The Nutcracker.
Indianapolis Ballet and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra are bringing The Nutcracker back to Clowes Memorial Hall this December. It's their annual holiday tradition, and they've been performing it for central Indiana audiences since 2007, so it's one of those things that just feels like part of the city's December calendar.
The story is the one you know: Clara's Christmas Eve journey to the Land of the Sweets, with swirling snowflakes, waltzing flowers, and the Sugar Plum Fairy. The music is Tchaikovsky's score, and it's performed live by the ISO, which makes a difference—having a full orchestra in the room rather than a recording gives the whole thing a weight and a presence that's hard to beat. It's the kind of production that works just as well if you're taking kids for their first time as it does if you've seen it a dozen times and just want to hear the music live.
There's more to the evening than just the performance. Pre-show entertainment runs downstairs in The Krannert Room, which opens as soon as the lobby doors do, so you can get there early and hang out before the curtain goes up. If you're looking for something a bit more tucked away, the Marquee Club is a private lounge with complimentary concessions and an open bar before the show.
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There are plenty of dates to choose from, so you can pick whatever fits your schedule. It runs from December 17 through December 22: Thursday, December 17, and Friday, December 18, both at 7:30 PM; Saturday, December 19, with a 2:00 PM matinee and a 7:30 PM evening show; Sunday, December 20, at 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM; and finally, a 2:00 PM matinee on Tuesday, December 22. All performances are at Clowes Memorial Hall.
