Cracking the Nut: The Inside Story!
See this before you see the ballet!
If you've ever sat and watched the Nutcracker ballet and wondered why all those mice are running around or why they just don't get a cat, here's the reason: the Nutcracker ballet is just a small part of E.T.A. Hoffmann's classic tale, The Nutcracker. Join storyteller Carolyn Martino, and you'll learn the whole story.
When the castle mice are killed for eating the King's sausages, the Mouse Queen swears her eternal revenge. Thus, the real tale begins. There ensues an unspeakable curse, a treacherous journey to find the hardest nut in the world, an heroic battle against the forces of villainy, the triumph of true love -- these are the elements that have made this rousing old folktale a family favorite for over a hundred years. You'll leave Carolyn's program with a new understanding of this classic story . . . and of this classic ballet!
Specially commissioned in 1998 by the Providence Public Library in association with the RI Festival Ballet, this lively storytelling performance is a perfect family show for the holidays -- or anytime. (School-age children and up, please.)
Children, families and adults all enjoy The Nutcracker
Children, families and adults all enjoy The Nutcracker
Here's What They Say:
"Children and parents were spellbound by your captivating telling, and I am in awe of your ability to pull such a well-woven, linear story out of Hoffmann's long, meandering tale. You are a storyteller par excellence!" . . . Fletcher Library, Westford, MA
"Carolyn does such a wonderful job bringing this classic tale to life. She is so skillful at creating the characters, you almost forget there is just one person telling the story."
Cranston, RI, Public Library
Thanks for sharing the magic of The Nutcracker with us again! Children and adults loved it. , , , Essex (MA) Public Library
"We have made this a yearly event, and our patrons return again and again to hear Carolyn tell this wonderful story."
East Providence, RI, Public Library
A perfect complement to the ballet
"Linking the complete story with the Nutcracker ballet was a wonderful supplement to our existing music curriculum and took our lesson to a much higher level." ... Music Director, Pleasant View School, Providence, RI
"Children and parents were spellbound by your captivating telling, and I am in awe of your ability to pull such a well-woven, linear story out of Hoffmann's long, meandering tale. You are a storyteller par excellence!" . . . Fletcher Library, Westford, MA
"Carolyn does such a wonderful job bringing this classic tale to life. She is so skillful at creating the characters, you almost forget there is just one person telling the story."
Cranston, RI, Public Library
Thanks for sharing the magic of The Nutcracker with us again! Children and adults loved it. , , , Essex (MA) Public Library
"We have made this a yearly event, and our patrons return again and again to hear Carolyn tell this wonderful story."
East Providence, RI, Public Library
A perfect complement to the ballet
"Linking the complete story with the Nutcracker ballet was a wonderful supplement to our existing music curriculum and took our lesson to a much higher level." ... Music Director, Pleasant View School, Providence, RI
