ARTS Ballet Ireland brings ‘Nutcracker’ to Castlebar

Ballet Ireland brings The Nutcracker to Castlebar

Ireland’s national ballet company Ballet Ireland is starting a tour of Ireland with its latest production of ‘The Nutcracker’ on October 26. The enchanting Christmas favourite, with its famous Tchaikovsky score, will be stopping off at The Royal Theatre, Castlebar, December 11.

It’s Christmas, and Clara (danced by Japanese ballerina Ryoko Yaguya) receives a Nutcracker doll as a Christmas present. Asleep under the Christmas tree, at the stroke of midnight, the magic begins! Clara is swept along into a world of mice and soldiers, caught in a snowflake blizzard and swept into the kingdom of the sweets, with the delectable Sugar Plum Fairy (Spanish ballerina Maria Ledesma).

The timeless ‘Nutcracker’ sparkles with the joy and imagination of a childhood Christmas. An enduring seasonal favourite with appeal for every member of the family, this two-act ballet, adapted from ETA Hoffman’s novel ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’, premiered in St Petersburg on December 18, 1892. Today it endures as one of the most popular ballets of all time.

Ballet Ireland perform ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Royal Theatre, Castlebar, on Tuesday, December 11. To book tickets (Adults, €20; Children, €15; Groups of ten or more, €12.50), contact the theatre box office on 0818 300 000.