Have a Cracking Nutcracker Christmas

Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet. Nutcracker. © Bill Cooper

Birmingham Royal Ballet return to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage with Sir Peter Wright’s acclaimed festive treat – The Nutcracker. This runs from 17 November – 9 December 2023.

Also Touch Tour: Sat 25 Nov 2023, 12.15pm. Audio Described: Sat 25 Nov 2023, 2.30pm.

Preview by Mandy Rose.

Following the huge success of Black Sabbath -The Ballet this autumn, the award-winning Birmingham Royal Ballet make a spectacular return to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage this Christmas with another Birmingham iconic production - Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker, which opens on 17 November, features 60 dancers accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia in what has become THE traditional festive treat for the whole family.

Set on Christmas Eve, The Nutcracker, which features the music of composer Tchaikovsky, revolves around a young girl named Clara, who receives a Nutcracker doll as a Christmas gift from the magician Drosselmeyer. The Nutcracker comes to life as a Prince and the magical journey begins.

Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Nutcracker. © Bill Cooper

In 2022, after more than 30 years, the production was given a much needed make over with new sets and costumes by designer John Macfarlane. This year BRB is once again ready to dazzle audiences in an enchanting winter wonderland of dancing snowflakes, magical Christmas trees and of course the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Principal casting for The Nutcracker, which ends its 2023 run on 9 December, has now been announced and full details can be found at www.brb.org.uk

Beatrice Parma as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Tzu-Chao Chou as the Prince © Bill Cooper

New for this year, and continuing The Nutcracker theme, BRB has partnered with RiVR, a UK-based virtual reality company to bring a new look to a much-loved favourite. The 12 Days of NutcrackAR is the world’s first Nutcracker themed augmented reality walking trail around Birmingham.

Opening on 4 November at a special BRB Nutcracker themed free event at the Bull Ring, the NutcrackAR, part of the company’s pioneering *Virtual Stage, offers everyone the chance to discover the hidden world of some of the props and costumes from the production.

Using a smart device such as a phone or tablet, viewers can see the Sugar Plum Fairy Tutu and its many hand-sewn pearls and sequins, the heavily embroidered coat of King Rat and the famous Christmas Tree where you can see graffiti from dancers and crew from over 30 years of shows!

Each day of the countdown to opening night will highlight a different AR site across the city. Content will be accessed through posters presented in various formats housing unique QR codes with AR content, descriptive text and voiceover, plus links to ticketing information.

After opening night of The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome on 17 November, BRB’s NutcrackAR will also be accessible in and around Hippodrome Square so audiences leaving the ‘reality’ of a performance will be able to enjoy this ‘augmented reality’ for the duration of The Nutcracker season.

*Virtual Stage is a pioneering project featuring content developed in collaboration with Canon and RiVR funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Programme.

Tickets can be purchased online at Birmingham Hippodrome www.birminghamhippodrome.com

Touch Tour: Sat 25 Nov 2023, 12.15pm. Audio Described: Sat 25 Nov 2023, 2.30pm