A Night with The Nutcracker

In the annals of ballet history there are few performances more popular or more performed than The Nutcracker. This ballet is known for its many child ballerinas/cavaliers; its Christmas-related storyline; and its musical score, which score was composed by the great Tchaikovsky himself.

This past Friday evening I attended (for the first time) the performance of The Nutcracker with a group of twenty-eight young people and parents from the San Antonio area. We arrived at the Majestic Theatre around 6:30 p.m., fighting the vast crowd of locals and otherwise attending the 2005 Ford Holiday River Parade & Lighting Ceremony. However, our entire party was timely in their planning, and we all reached our seats with plenty of time to spare for the 7:00 p.m. performance (which performance started late, anyway).

Preferring lower ticket prices to costly seats, we were treated to a bird’s eye view of the performance. (This suited me just fine, by the way, as my primary interest was in the orchestra performing underneath the stage. A far-away view of the ballerinas and cavaliers was a special treat, in my opinion.) From my extremely unprofessional and inexperienced perspective (a perspective I am quite proud to possess), the presentation of The Nutcracker was well done. There were a few noticeable mishaps, such as the occasional prop drop, etc., but the children in particular carried themselves very well and amazed me by their ability and focus. The two segments of The Nutcracker that disturbed me the most were the dance of the purposefully immodest arabic woman (during which dance the male attendees in our group took turns admiring the floor and ceiling), and the solo performance of a cavalier. This man defied the usual need for circulation of the blood and paraded around the stage blissfully unaware of how ridiculous (at best) he appeared. His appearance was the same when accompanied by his ballerina partner, but by himself he was without that very necessary evidence of his manhood. Once again, the bird’s eye view was a blessing.

Despite the slight annoyances described above, I am very glad to have attended The Nutcracker, presented by the San Antonio Symphony and performed by the Alabama Ballet. My overall experience was one of enjoyment, and I appreciated the first-hand insight into one of "The Arts’" most beloved performances. To attend The Nutcracker with my brother and sister was an added privilege, and I was grateful to finally have my family present for one of these special outings we of the San Antonio Christian community are wont to enjoy from time to time.

After the performance our group made its way to a local Starbucks on the Riverwalk, located just two blocks from the Majestic Theatre (a location I had carefully scoped out two nights before). Following a brief wait in line, I made my way to the counter and ordered drinks for my brother and sister. Shortly after placing my order I turned around to find that my entire gaggle of friends had departed me for a restaurant! So much for "follow the leader."

Those of us who had placed orders at Starbucks waited for our respective drinks and then hurried after the rest of our group. Through that wonderful modern invention, the cell phone, we soon tracked them down on the Riverwalk and joined them for a late meal at the Original Mexican Restaurant. In reality, this departure from my original plan turned out for the best, as the seating accommodations in our private dining room were much preferable to the loud and crowded Starbucks.

Enjoying food and fellowship well into the night, we laughed, conversed, took photos, told stories, made new friends, and appreciated the common bond in Christ each of us shared. What a blessing friends can be.

I look forward to our next large group outing, wherever and whenever that may be.