Not really, although it uses nearly all of Tchaikovsky's music, and the dances are played in their original order. Many of the usually nice characters are completely unsympathetic, and the first act is set in an orphanage where the children are emotionally abused by their caretakers. The only toy which comes to life is the so-called Nutcracker, who isn't even really a nutcracker in this version, just a doll, who, when he comes to life, resembles a giant ventriloquist's dummy. There is no battle with mice, and Clara does not throw her slipper at anyone, although there is a fight between the children and those who run the orphanage. A great deal of this "Nutcracker" is "sexed up", with the Nutcracker himself turning into a beefy hunk instead of a prince. (See the Parents Guide for details on this.) The Sugar Plum Fairy, usually a very kindly, motherly figure, is renamed Princess Sugar, and is the dream counterpart of the bratty daughter of the woman who runs the orphanage. Princess Sugar is a narcissistic bitch, who apparently steals Clara's beefy hunk away from her.
The only character from the ballet who is kept largely unchanged is Clara, who remains sweet, pretty, and very sympathetic. Her pas-de-deux after the Nutcracker's transformation, however, is unmistakably sexy in a way that it is not in most other productions of the ballet.
The only character from the ballet who is kept largely unchanged is Clara, who remains sweet, pretty, and very sympathetic. Her pas-de-deux after the Nutcracker's transformation, however, is unmistakably sexy in a way that it is not in most other productions of the ballet.
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