Company XIV’s NUTCRACKER ROUGE

Those looking for the traditional Tchaikovsky-Balanchine Nutcracker will probably want to head over to Lincoln Center. But if you want your Nutcracker with a side of champagne, pasties, and glitter, take a trip to Bushwick for Company XIV’s baroque burlesque ballet Nutcracker Rouge. Now in its 8th iteration, this gorgeous production, loosely based on E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” changes each year to include a variety of acts. In addition to the incredible dancers and amazing singers (Cristina Raé and LEXXE) that are consistent with every XIV show, there are stunning aerialists (Marcy Richardson, Nolan McKew, and Troy Lingelbach), sexy striptease (LILIN), and riveting circus acts (Ashley Dragon on Cyr Wheel). This year Albert Cadabra, the New York City-based magician seen in burlesque and side shows all around town, graces the Company XIV stage as emcee. 

Much like the traditional ballet, Nutcracker Rouge consists of a series of vignettes and dance pieces centered around a young girl’s discovery of a magical kingdom full of sweets, fairies, and handsome princes. In this version, the eye candy does not disappoint. While a lot of the choreography (Austin McCormick) is set to the original Tchaikovsky music, including the rousing Sugar Plum Pas de Deux between the young girl (Christine Flores) and her prince (Nicholas Katen), there are also dances set to jazz (Duke Ellington’s “Sugar Rum Cherry”), rock (Oasis’s “Champagne Supernova”), and pop music (Nancy Sinatra’s “Sugar Town”).

Albert Cadabra serves as a sort of narrator to the proceedings. He mixes his own magic acts – balloon swallowing, an escape act where he is suspended upside down in a straitjacket – in between the dances and other performances. He brings a certain wry humor and sideshow flair to the production, making it feel more like a variety show than a dance performance. 

But of course, one goes to a Company XIV show not solely for what is appearing on stage. The experience of walking into Company XIV’s lavish theatre in Brooklyn always feels immersive. It’s carefully curated to bathe your senses in a certain hedonistic aesthetic, from the lighting (Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew), the scents, and the absinthe, to the sumptuous set design and costumes (Zane Pihlstrom). You feel as though you are transported to another time and place, a mix between Louis XIV’s court and a Paris cabaret. Smoke machines give it a dream-like quality, and sipping on some bubbles certainly helps! 

So, if you want to celebrate your adult holiday season right, with men in heels and corsets, and women in next to nothing, you’ll want to check out Nutcracker Rouge. Fair warning though: you might get on Santa’s “naughty” list.

Nutcracker Rouge is running through January 26, 2020 at Company XIV’s Théâtre XIV.