Oakland Ballet celebrates 50th with ‘Nutcracker’
Rounding out its 50th anniversary, Oakland Ballet Company returns to the Paramount Theatre this weekend with Artistic Director Graham Lustig’s charming version of “Nutcracker.”
Set in fin de siecle Vienna, Lustig’s sleek and elegant take on the holiday classic features all the requisite delights — flurries of dancing snowballs, waltzing flowers, mice, a Sugar Plum Fairy and, of course, the dreamy fantasy of the young Marie and her gallant Nutcracker Prince.
Bolstered by live performances of the much-loved Tchaikovsky score by the Oakland Symphony under Michael Morgan, Oakland Ballet Company’s production also features dozens of students from the company school, as well as the Mount Eden Women’s Ensemble lending their voices to the snowy splendor.