Oklahoma City Ballet’s lavish production of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker, to be staged Dec. 14-23 at the Civic Center Music Hall, will feature new choreography and sets, props, lighting and costumes created by some of the nation’s top designers and artisans.
It’s also has been re-envisioned to include several new characters, a few new twists and a lot more magic, according to artistic director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye.
In this new production, made possible by Devon Energy and The Chickasaw Nation, “we’re not merely staging a performance; we’re crafting a warm, wholesome, holiday story, and a visually stunning masterpiece for our audience," Ryan said.
Ryan’s dream team includes legendary costume designer Holly Hynes, who designed almost 200 costumes for this production. Holly was the director of costumes for New York City Ballet for 21 years and has worked with dozens of domestic and international ballet companies.
Holly and Ryan envisioned the new costume designs together, and Holly is overseeing the construction of each costume utilizing 18 highly skilled artisans and makers.
“The costumes for OKC’s The Nutcracker will beautifully capture the charm and elegance of 1906 life. Picture the grand house's drawing room filled with rich velvets and silks decorating dancing couples transforming into an imaginative battlefield for Clara, where quirky pirate mice engage in a dreamlike skirmish against boys from the party militia,” Holly said.
“This whimsical journey continues into the luscious Land of Sweets, traversing a snowy voyage alongside Clara and her siblings. We'll feature dessert-inspired costumes from various countries, blending the familiar with the unusual. It's the timeless story we know, infused with delightful new twists.”
World-renowned custom costume designer Eric Winterling is creating the all-new Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier costumes, the Coffee costumes and the Snow Queen. Eric has created pieces for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, HBO’s The Gilded Age, Broadway’s Funny Girl, Wicked and Frozen, plus some of the nation’s top ballet companies, now including Oklahoma City Ballet.
Other makers involved in this production boast major names on their resumes, including The Greatest Showman, Beetlejuice, Warhorse, Dickenson, Moulin Rouge, Star Trek, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and theater productions like Hamilton, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Aladdin and The Rockettes. Spamalot Revival, plus numerous ballet companies.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 405.848.TOES or online at OKCBallet.org/performances.