The Hard Nut

with members of the Berkeley Symphony
Piedmont Children's Choir
Robert Cole, conductor

Fridays, December 14 and 21 at 7:30PM;
Saturdays, December 15 and 22, at 2:00PM and 8:00PM;
Sundays, December 16 and 23, at 3:00PM;
Thursday, December 20 at 7:30PM
RECENT PRESS

Following sold-out engagements in London and New York, The Hard Nut returns to Zellerbach Hall, its favorite holiday home. One of the Bay Area's essential and most loved holiday traditions, this warmhearted Morris masterpiece is a retake on the traditional Nutcracker ballet, staying within the framework of E.T.A. Hoffmann's classic tale, yet updating the canvas to include dancing Barbie dolls, gogo boots and hilarious dancing snowflakes. But what makes The Hard Nut truly memorable is the tenderness and lyricism behind Morris's dazzling wit, the brilliance of the dancing itself, and scenes of such deeply felt emotion that they regularly leave audiences in tears. Set to Tchaikovsky's timeless full score, The Hard Nut is "seriously entertaining, gorgeously danced, and improbably touching...it frankly celebrates all that is familiar about the beloved ballet: love of family, the warmth of the holidays, one little girl's lovely dream on Christmas Eve" (San Francisco Chronicle).