The Nutcracker and the Mouse king

Eagling and Van Schayk's creative retelling of Hoffmann's Nutcracker transports the classic tale to Holland. Instead of Christmas Eve, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King unfolds on the Dutch feast of Sinterklaas around 1810 in Amsterdam, while ice skaters dash and twirl across the frozen canals.

Festive evening

In their canal-side house in Amsterdam, Clara Staalboom, her little brother Frits and their elder sister Louise are getting ready to celebrate Sinterklaas evening. Outside on the canal, skaters twirl around on the ice. Meanwhile, their guests arrive, including the eccentric Mr Drosselmeijer and his nephew, a young cadet. Clara's Sinterklaas gift is a nutcracker doll, while Frits gets a soldier's uniform complete with a sword. In bed that night, Clara dreams that she has grown into a lovely young woman and that her nutcracker doll comes to life as Drosslemeijer's nephew. Together, they take up arms against the forces of the mouse king, and then are whisked away in Drosselmeijer's magic lantern on a whirlwind tour of exotic lands.

Sets and costumes

Toer van Schayk also designed the sets and costumes for this Nutcracker production, transporting the audience to a world of merriment and magic. His staging is both a visual and technical tour de force in the history of Dutch National Ballet. The skaters on the Amsterdam canal, the living room that swells in Clara's dream and the walls that transform into a snow-dusted forest are all scenes sure to awaken and delight in the child in everyone.