"Nut/Cracked" at DTW

The Bang Group in Nut/cracked
(photo: Yi-Chun Wu) 

One balalaika plinging! 

Two thumbs a' sucking!

Copious vodka flowing! 

Four tap shoes tapping! 

Sunglasses gleaming! 

Ellington a'jazzing!

Bubble wrap a'popping! 

Xmas tree erecting! 

Uh...where was I?

How fun to hang out with David Parker's jazzy, sassy, goofy and yet quite meticulous Nutcracker variation, Nut/Cracked (2003) in the final performance of The Bang Group's DTW season!

As much fun as a harmless slip on skating rink ice and an irresistible waltz with flowers that make you sneeze.

As much fun as finding you've got Tchaikovsky looping in the brain but with considerable help from the likes of Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller.

The kind of fun where nothing's sacred but everything's beloved--ballet and vaudeville, Broadway and Hollywood, dancers of every shape and talent. Let's hear it for fun!

Jennifer Sydor and Aaron Mattocks in Nut/Cracked
(photo: Yi-Chun Wu) 

And so, thank you, David and company, for the fun and the sugar plums and the smiles on an almost-winter night.