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Joffrey's new 'Nutcracker' dazzles in Chicago setting

It might be too soon to call the Joffrey Ballet's world-premiere production of “The Nutcracker” a new Chicago landmark. But if the ecstatic opening-night response is any indication, this tradition-breaking take on the classic Tchaikovsky Christmas ballet should soon top the list of must-see Chicago holiday shows.

Joffrey Ballet artistic director Ashley Wheater took an enormous risk in retiring its previous “Nutcracker,” the last major work by namesake choreographer Robert Joffrey before his death in 1988. Joffrey had already transported his “Nutcracker” from Germany to America, but Wheater ratcheted up local pride by commissioning acclaimed British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon to set the new production in Chicago around the influential World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

Wheeldon collaborated with story adapter Brian Selznick to make this “Nutcracker” a more democratic affair while also celebrating the Windy City's waves of Eastern European immigrants. Rather than wealthy families celebrating in a grand mansion, Wheeldon re-imagines the Act I Christmas Eve party as a gathering of fair construction workers and their families with lots of Slavic folk dancing. And Tchaikovsky's grand orchestrations for this sequence have also been altered to suit the humbler surroundings.

Snowflakes dance along the coast of Lake Michigan in the Joffrey Ballet's "The Nutcracker." Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's world premiere production continues at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago through Friday, Dec. 30. Courtesy of Cheryl Mann/Joffrey Ballet

The story still centers around young Marie (Amanda Assucena) and her magical Nutcracker (Alberto Velazquez), who now comes into her possession thanks to the generosity of The Grand Impresario of the Fair (Miguel Angel Blanco). Marie here faces more hardships with a widowed sculptor mother (Victoria Jaiani) and a severely rat-infested home (a major credit to puppeteer Basil Twist, whose mini-rodents are both cute and unsettling).

Yet once Marie starts to dream, Wheeldon's “Nutcracker” grows to supersize proportions with lots of wowing spectacle. Set and costume designer Julian Crouch beautifully incorporates the 1889 Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University itself into his Chicago-centric production designs. Extra magical effects come from lighting designer Natasha Katz and projection designer Benjamin Pearcy to make more transformational beauty.

The Rat King (Rory Hohenstein) does battle with the Nutcracker (Alberto Velazquez) in the Joffrey Ballet's "The Nutcracker." Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's world premiere production continues in Chicago through Friday, Dec. 30. Courtesy of Cheryl Mann/Joffrey Ballet

Wheeldon is strong on storytelling throughout his choreography, and he's not afraid to rearrange or re-imagine the Act II divertissements at the completed world's fair. For instance, the trepak-dancing Russian Cossacks have been replaced in favor of Buffalo Bill wrangling a bevy of Western beauties, reflecting how the Wild West Show set up shop just outside the Columbian Exposition. The Sugar Plum Fairy's solo has also been bumped up earlier for the new “Queen of the Fair,” who looks like a living embodiment of the large and looming Statue of the Republic.

Marie (Amanda Assucena), center, plays with her new nutcracker during a Christmas Eve party in the Joffrey Ballet's "The Nutcracker." Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's world premiere continues in Chicago through Friday, Dec. 30. Courtesy of Cheryl Mann/Joffrey Ballet

Some audiences will grouse at the Joffrey's break with so many “Nutcracker” traditions. And the Joffrey isn't the first company to localize “The Nutcracker” - the San Francisco Ballet set its 2004 production around the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition.

Yet there's no denying the wonder and local flourishes unique to this new production. Anyone who loves Chicago and its history should welcome Wheeldon's “Nutcracker” with open arms.

Joffrey Ballet's “The Nutcracker”

★ ★ ★ ★

Location: Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago, (312) 386-8905 or

joffrey.org

Showtimes: Select 2 and 7 p.m. performances through Dec. 30

Tickets: $35-$170

Running time: Approximately two hours with intermission

Parking: Area pay garages and limited metered street parking

Rating: For general audiences

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