The Nutcracker
Book by Jake Minton and Phillip Klapperich
Music by Kevin O’Donnell, Lyrics by Jake Minton
Directed and Choreographed by Tommy Rapley
at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division (map)
thru Dec 29 | tickets: $30 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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An enthralling tale to delight the eye and warm the heart
The House Theatre of Chicago presents
The Nutcracker
Review by Clint May
At the end of opening night’s production, I observed with a smile a little girl of perhaps 6 or 7 ensuring that her doll (in matching dress) was also clapping her hands for the performers. It was so very important to her that both she and her dolly pay appropriate homage, perhaps because it so prominently features toys imbued with life. Like that little girl, the team of Jake Minton and Phillip Klapperich understand that sense of childlike magic and wonder and have invested their version of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker with a playfulness that can bring out the child in anyone. How else could it be said of this self-proclaimed Christmas cynic that I look forward to this yearly production with an energy bordering on giddiness? At the risk of making a groaner of a pun, I was a tough nut to crack until this came along.
Mysterious old vagabond Uncle Drosselmeyer (Karl Potthoff) never got the note that his niece’s annual Christmas party has been canceled (and he clearly wouldn’t care either way), arriving a few days early with a “pre-Christmas” present for his great-niece, the young Clara (Paige Collins). Much to her delight—and her parent’s chagrin—it’s a large nutcracker carved in the likeness of their lost Fritz (Kevin Stangler). Since his death, mother Martha (Brenda Barrie) and father David (Benjamin Sprunger) have become distant to each other and to their daughter. In place of holiday cookies, only the smell of pizza bagels wafts through the house. No lights or Christmas tree adorn the living room. Drosselmeyer knows that to clean a puncture wound of this ilk, sometimes you have to reopen the wound at the surface and drive out the “infection” below. With a bit of help from the magic one assumes he’s gained on his world wanderings, he’ll begin the adventure to knit his wayward family back together.
At the stroke of midnight, Fritz returns from beyond, ready to help his beloved kid sister revive the spirit of the holidays. Rushing to their aid are Clara’s three favorite dolls—nerdy robot Hugo (Jason Grimm), loveable ditz Phoebe (Christine Perkins), and a French sock monkey (Johnny Arena). Unbeknownst to them, the forces of the rats that live within the walls are working to undermine their Christmastime efforts. Rats, you see, despise the brightness and noise of the holidays, and have found the perfect nest in the forlorn walls of Clara’s house. Here they plan to bring about a true Rat King of legend if Clara and her team don’t strike fast with the sword of cookies, lights and caroling to drive them back into the darkness. This provides a bit of a Catch 22 for the young Clara. As the rats remind her, it’s only in that darkness that the magic that brings her brother to life can exist. Drive it away, and only the painful harsh light of day—and the truth of his absence—will remain.
Drawing on zany comedic inspirations as diverse as Benny Hill and Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, Minton and Klapperich have created a holiday spectacle that’s as warm and fresh as holiday cookies. Who can’t love that the evil rats (Sprunger and Barrie) speak in overblown Cockney accents, or a long lost teddy bear (also Sprunger) that springs to life and goes to battle with the hope that his enemies have an appetite because he “brought ‘bear claws’ for everyone!” There’s a charming kinetic energy that rolls off the entire cast and into the audience, augmented by Minton and Kevin O’Donnell’s lovely and wistful custom carols (with a 4-piece live band as back up).
  
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The bittersweet nature of the journey, from denial to acceptance, provides the crucial emotional grounding, and Barrie and Sprunger are equally adept at portraying parents in deep mourning who can’t understand their daughter’s insistence in the magic around them. Potthoff gets to have a lot of fun as the winking eccentric who always knows more than he’s saying, living in a world halfway between whimsy and reality. Stangler is heartbreaking as the brave and devoted brother who knows in his heart that he’s back on borrowed time. Still, it’s Collins who steals the show with her projection of vulnerability tinged with resolve, a beautiful voice, and the aching tenderness of a little girl who knows it’s time to grow up and put away childish things.
As a piece of stagecraft, the behind the scenes staff deserves much credit for enhancing the enchantment of this tale. Collette Pollard has created an ingeniously immersive in the round set, augmented by Lee Keenan’s lighting designs. Dan Kerr-Hobarts’ puppet work, Michael Griggs’ sound design, Debbie Baer’s costumes—it’s all been crafted with great attention to detail and continuously refined since the 2007 debut. Even with the continuous adjustments, it has a sense of improvisation woven throughout.
Every year there are several new competing productions vying to become a holiday staple for troupes. Many end up on the wayside. Gratefully, The House Theatre has found its perfect annual gift to the theatre-going public that distills all the best of what makes their voice unique in the world of Chicago theatre. As a new uncle myself, I can’t wait to bring my own niece and nephew to the show when they’re of age, ready to help them—and their toys—applaud this magical holiday tradition.
Rating: ★★★★
The Nutcracker continues through December 29th at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division (map), with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays 3pm and 7:30pm, Sundays 3pm and 7pm. Tickets are $30, and are available by phone (773-396-2875) or online through PrintTixUSA.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TheHouseTheatre.com. (Running time: 2 hours, includes an intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
artists
cast
Johnny Arena (Monkey), Brenda Barrie (Martha, Really Scary Rat), Paige Collins (Clara), Christine Maryland Perkins (Phoebe), Kevin Stangler (Fritz), Benjamin Sprunger (David, Quite Scary Rat), Jason Grimm (Hugo), Karl Potthoff (Drosselmeyer, Reqlly Quite Scary Rat), Christine Worden, Mike Mazzocca (understudies)
band
Matthew Muniz (piano), Patrycja Likos (cello), Katie Klocke (violin), Anthony Scandora (percussion)
behind the scenes
Tommy Rapley (director, choreographer), Collette Pollard (scenic design), Sally Weiss (asst. scenic design), Debbie Baer (costume design), Lee Keenan (light design), William C. Kirkham (asst. lighting design), Eleanor Kahn (props master), Michael Griggs (sound design), Kevin O’Donnell (original music), Josh Horvath (associate sound design), Mieka van der Ploeg (associate costume design, costume manager), Dan Kerr-Hobart (puppeteer master) Sarah Hoeferlin (stage manager), Casey Peek (asst. stage manager), Left Wing Scenic (tech direction), Jon Woelfer (scenic supervisor), Will Dean (master electrician), Cameron Petti (asst. master electrician), Anne Walaszek (asst. costume manager), Ali Drumm (wardrobe supervisor), Jenna Moran (audio engineer), Chris Thoren (open house intern), Brian Bowne, Marrisa Miles-Coccaro, Bridgid Danahy, Claire Orzel, Conor Keelan (run crew), Michael Brosilow (photos)
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