Light catches in the sparkling tulle of the Sugarplum Fairy’s skirt as her ballet pink slippers gracefully turn across the stage. A mopey Charlie Brown shuffles around with his band of friends before singing around a scraggly Christmas tree. Clothed in a Victorian nightshirt, Scrooge is whisked through time by ghosts and returned a changed man, just in time for Christmas morning.
Some beloved classics return year after year, cementing their places at the hearts of Christmas traditions. There is no better way to experience these stories than to attend a live performance, and in Kansas City, opportunities abound.
“The Nutcracker” is a well-loved Yuletide ballet which centers around a young German girl, Clara Silberhaus. After a Christmas Eve party, where she receives a nutcracker, the toy comes alive and becomes a prince, who leads her on a journey through magical lands.
The tale originated in an 1816 fairytale written by E.T.A. Hoffman, entitled “Nutcracker and Mouse King.” In the original, Clara was called Marie Stahlbaum, and the story was darker than
the version seen today. In 1845, Hoffman’s work was adapted by Alexandre Dumas into “The Nutcracker,” which the ballet is based upon.
With music by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa, the ballet premiered in 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. It made its American debut at the San Francisco Ballet in 1944, and the New York City Ballet performed the now popular “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” for the first time in 1954. Since then, the ballet has captivated viewers.
The Kansas City Ballet performs its production of “The Nutcracker” through December 24th at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. This is junior Victoria Zaborny’s ninth year participating.
“The Nutcracker is really fun, and I get to see all my friends,” Zaborny said. “I get to actually perform, wear costumes, and do it with the company. It’s just become such a holiday thing for me: I can’t not do it now.”
The holiday spirit is truly encapsulated in the Nutcracker. For dancers, it is the peak of the season.
“The Nutcracker is a timeless classic in the ballet world,” Zaborny said. “A lot of ballet companies do it as their Christmas show.”
If you’re in the mood for another classic, not much evokes nostalgia quite like “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The television special, which aired for the first time in December of 1965, was inspired by the Peanuts comic strip, and follows a downin-the-dumps Charlie Brown who is saddened by the rampant materialism of Christmas. After becoming director of the school play (and a heartwarming performance of “Christmas Time is
Here”), Charlie Brown learns the true meaning of Christmas.
Earlier this month, Rockhurst High School revived the classic story, with senior Sola Owens in the role of Lucy. This was Owen’s first year in the production, and she’s a fan of her character.
“I love how she definitely stands her ground,” Owens said. “I feel like a lot of people think Lucy’s mean, but I think she just knows herself really well, and she’s very mature for being only five or six. She’s not afraid to speak her mind. I was reading all the comics, and…she’s a big
women’s rights advocate…She’s such a strong, female character.”
Getting to know her character isn’t the only aspect of “Charlie Brown” Owens has enjoyed. Owens emphasized connection with her castmates, among them sophomore Audrey Squires and junior Annie Severns, and the fun nature of the play.
“I love all the people in it,” Owens said. “It’s been really fun getting to have a lot of time to make each moment funny…because everyone loves Charlie Brown.”
“Charlie Brown” isn’t Owens’s only brush with holiday performances. In 2022 and 2023, Owens acted in the KC Rep’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” She loved the tradition of the show and the relationships she built with fellow actors.
“There were so many families [whose] tradition [was] to come every year, and so being a part of that was really cool,” Owens said. “Because it runs for such a long time, you become such a close family with everyone involved…I see my “Christmas Carol” friends, and it’s like nothing has changed.”
Owens also discussed the themes within the show which continue to resonate with audiences.
“It’s always heartwarming,” Owens said. “You’re always going to get something different out of it, and I think that’s why it’s such a big tradition. It’s so timeless: everyone’s going to relate to it in some way.”
This year’s performances, which run until December 28th at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, include freshman Mary Flood, who will perform on December 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 27th and 28th.
“A Christmas Carol” was originally an 1843 novel by Charles Dickens. Then entitled “A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas,” the piece achieved immediate popularity, and was written to address ideas of want and ignorance, which are personified in the play as two ragged children.
The story follows a morally corrupt and Christmas-hating man named Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by his dead business partner Marley and three ghosts. As he journeys through time, Scrooge becomes more generous and kind. On Christmas morning, he emerges a changed man and sends a turkey to Tiny Tim and his family. The tale, written only in six weeks, has become an enduring symbol of Christmas spirit.
So, if you’re looking for something to get you in the holiday mood, check out the live performances Kansas City has to offer. Whether you’re in the mood for arabesques, a bedraggled tree or a resounding “God bless us, every one!” ’tis the season for a Christmas show.
