A scene from a past Florida Classical Ballet Theatreproduction of The Nutcracker.
Dance: Let the Nutcrackers begin: Today marks the beginning of the annual productions of the ballet Peter Tchaikovsky scored in 1892, a year before his death, and while the composer thought his work was inferior to his other ballets, generations of dancers, choreographers and audiences beg to differ. Florida Classical Ballet Theatre gets its four performances under way this afternoon and evening at the Eissey Campus Theatre on the Palm Beach State College campus in Palm Beach Gardens; shows today and Saturday are at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $22-$32; call 207-5900.
Meanwhile, the Boca Ballet Theatre mounts Dan Guin’s interpretation of The Nutcracker in three performances Saturday and Sunday at the Olympic Heights High School Performing Arts Theater in Boca Raton. The production stars Irina Dvorovenko of American Ballet Theatre and Alexei Tyukov of the Colorado Ballet. Shows are at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $25-$35. Call 995-0709 or visit www.bocaballet.org.
Next week, the Miami City Ballet offers the George Balanchine choreography of the ballet in seven performances (Dec. 4-5, 10-12) at the Kravis Center, and Boca Raton’s Harid Conservatory plans two performances of the ballet’s Act II at Spanish River High School Dec. 11 and 12. (Did we mention the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida version? That’s set for Dec. 10-12, 18-19 at three different venues in Miami, Aventura and Fort Lauderdale.)
In other words, there’s no shortage of performances of this classic work of dance, and the same will probably be true for many seasons to come.
James Franco in 127 Hours.Film: One of the year’s best movies and likely to be one of the hardest to sell is Danny Boyle’s (Slumdog Millionaire) suspenseful, true tale of Aron Ralston’s trek into the caverns of Utah and his ordeal of being pinned by a rock in a crevice for 127 Hours. Yes, as you probably already know, he extricates himself by cutting off his arm with a dull pocket knife, yet the film is a celebration of life and Ralston’s survival instincts. By the nature of the story, you would think the movie would be hopelessly static, but Boyle is too wily and resourceful a director for that. And even if you are more couch potato than outdoorsman, James Franco will have you identifying with Ralston’s plight each desperate moment of those hours. Opening today at area theaters. – H. Erstein
The cast of Dreamgirls.Theater: In 1981, director-choreographer Michael Bennett conceived a musical called Dreamgirls, a look at the seamy underside of the music industry as seen through the rise, squabbles and ultimate dissolution of a girl group that will bring The Supremes to mind. Every major revival of the show since then has stuck closely to Bennett’s staging, until now. A new touring edition at the Kravis Center this week gives Dream girls a new spin, thanks to Robert Longbottom (Side Show) at the helm and a new scenic design by Robin Wagner dominated by five mobile, floor-to-ceiling LED lighting panels. Henry Krieger has done some tinkering with his score, including a new context for the song Listen from the 2006 film, and a hefty dynamo named Moya Angela will win your heart with her primal scream on And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going. Go, but hurry: It is only here through Sunday. – H. Erstein
Stefan Hempel, Catherine Klipfel and Emanuel Wehseof the Morgenstern Trio.
Music: On Tuesday, the Kravis Center’s Young Artists series gets going with the first of its four programs, this one featuring the Morgenstern Trio of Germany. Violinist Stefan Hempel, cellist Emanuel Wehse and pianist Catherine Klipfel are making a good name for themselves in chamber music circles, and a look at a YouTube promotional video shows a group that can tackle the rigors of the Beethoven Archduke Trio, among other pieces, compellingly.
The Morgensterns (who named themselves after German poet Christian Morgenstern) will perform youthful works by Shostakovich (Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8) and Bernstein (his lone Piano Trio), and the beautiful G minor trio (Op. 15) of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana, who wrote the piece in 1855 after the death of his daughter Bedriska, who was only 4.
The trio makes its Florida debut with this appearance at the Rinker Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $30; call 832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org.