The Nutcracker

Christian Spuck's new production focuses on E.T.A. Hoffmann's literary work and highlights the tension between childlike innocence and growing self-perception. Since the writing of the story by Hoffmann (1816) and the later ballet adaptation by Marius Petipa and Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1892), The Nutcracker has developed into one of the most famous ballet classics. Originally intended as a magnificent entertainment ballet, the work was presented many times in the 20th century, and attending a performance became a Christmas ritual, while its psychological and literary depth faded into the background. Christian Spuck picks up on this historical tradition to create a performance that is both committed to classical ballet language and offers space for the complex aspects of Hoffmann's story. Musically, the production is based on Tchaikovsky's world-famous composition, which gives the contrasting images between fairytale lightness, dramatic tension and surreal dream play their unmistakable sound. This ballet is not just a Christmas performance, but a poetic, modern reflection on growing up, self-discovery and the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Spuck's version is a Berlin nutcracker that brings classical tradition and literary romance together in a new way, preserves the magic of the original and at the same time offers a contemporary, multi-layered experience for children and adults.