The Nutcracker at Stoneham Theatre

12 year old Clara triumphs over the Rat King. The victorious ending of a well known tale that is in essence whimsically wrenching and wholeheartedly heartfelt. When stripped away of all its usual 1950-ish Tchaikovsky tinsel, The Nutcracker, as imagined by The House Theatre of Chicago and adhering closely to E.T.A Hoffman’s dark original, is a riveting tale of a family in shock, with parents immobilized by the grief of losing their soldier son Fritz. A year ago, that unexpected knock on the door during a Christmas Eve party changed everything. And a year later, there are no plans for special Sugar Plum cookies, just the usual pizza bagels.