Holiday season is here and that means it’s time for Nutcracker Key West, a true Christmas spectacular and one of the largest, most elaborate stage productions ever to hit the Florida Keys.
Set to the music of Tchaikovsky, this fabulous island interpretation of the original holiday extravaganza, is written and produced by Key West arts patron, Joyce Stahl, an accomplished, classically trained dancer who performed with the American Repertory Ballet Theater for 38 years.
With over a dozen international professional dancers, a large cast of local children and breathtaking sets designed by Michael Boyer, Stahl’s spectacular production of the fabled ballet is rich with original Key West tropical imagery and familiar island icons. Expect to see legions of toy sailors battling a Rooster King and his cohorts, the Coral Seas Cavilierî, as well as a flock of snowy egrets, an underwater Kingdom ruled by King Neptune and yes, even a Conch Shell Nutcracker!
Stahl’s production also incorporates elaborate costumes of her own design that are valued at more than $300,000. Her custom made costumes are enhanced with revolutionary fiber-optic and LED lights, specially crafted to be nearly weightless so that dancers can easily glide across the stage. Nutcracker Key West is one of the first classical ballet companies in the United States to use the new costume technology and it adds an extra layer of magic to the show.
This enchanting, not- to-be – missed production of Nutcracker Key West opens on Friday, December 7 at 7:30pm with a special reduced price preview and plays through Sunday, December 16. There are also four weekend matinees on Saturday, December 8 and 15 and on Sunday, December 9 and 16 at 2:30pm.
You can catch Nutcracker Key West at the Tennessee Williams Theater, 5901 College Road on Stock Island/Key West. For tickets, call 305-295-7676 or visit keystix.com .
