Mudlark Theater Brings Back Holiday Play ‘The Nutcracker’ Dec.15-18

EVANSTON — Mudlark Theater is pleased to be presenting one of its most beloved holiday shows, “The Nutcracker,” a play that is adapted from the original story that inspired Tchaikovsky’s ballet. “The Nutcracker” will be running at Mudlark’s Red Curtain Theater at 1417 Hinman Ave. in Evanston from Dec. 15 through Dec. 18. Tickets are $18.

Written by Chicago-area playwright Christina Lepri, the play was adapted from the original source material that inspired Tchaikovsky’s ballet — a novella written in 1816 by Prussia author E.T.A. Hoffman entitled, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.”

In this version, directed by Jamie Macpherson, Lepri embraced the darker aspects of the original story, and also brought out more of the family dynamics between Marie, the main protagonist (who is sometimes referred to as Clara in the ballet), and her two siblings, Fritz and Louise.

She also tried to make Marie a more three-dimensional female character, and to give more of a story arc to the Nutcracker character, who is usually not flushed out much in most ballet adaptations.

This is the third time that Mudlark has presented this show — it first debuted in 2015 and Mudlark presented it again in 2018 — and it’s back again due to its universal appeal.

“We’ve found that audiences really love seeing the characters that they know so well from the ballet come to life with more personality and backstory in this theatrical adaptation,” says Andrew Biliter, artistic director of Mudlark Theater. “Audiences always are surprised at how much depth this story has.”

Like all of Mudlark’s productions, “The Nutcracker” features actors who are mostly between 10 to 16 years old, although there are four adult actors in the production who play the adult characters. Most of the actors are Evanston or Skokie residents.

The play will be running on Dec. 15 and 16 at 7 p.m., and Dec. 17 and 18 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at https://mudlarktheater.org.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

The Nutcracker — Dec. 15-18

Performance Times: Dec. 15 at 7 p.m., Dec. 16 at 7 p.m., Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. & 7 p.m., Dec. 18 at 3 p.m.

Synopsis: Mudlark Theater’s beloved Nutcracker is back! In this play, based on the short story written by E.T.A. Hoffman that inspired Tchaikovsky’s ballet, 12-year-old Marie doesn’t want to stop living in her imaginary world of toys, even know her family thinks she needs to grow up. Little do they know, that world is real.

Tickets: $18.

Tickets available at https://mudlarktheater.org

About Mudlark

Mudlark Theater collaborates with kids to tell youth-centered stories. By taking kids seriously as artists and individuals, we create space for transformative experiences accessible to all.

About the Mudlark leadership team:

Andrew Biliter (Artistic Director) has been Mudlark’s artistic director since 2009. With every play he writes, directs, edits, or produces, he aims to change the way people view and experience youth theater. Under Andrew’s leadership, Mudlark has focused on telling old stories in new ways, and new stories that only a youth company can tell.

Maureen Powers (Executive Director) joined Mudlark in January 2020. Maureen has extensive experience directing local and international organizations focused on theater, women and youth. She leads Mudlark in pursuing its mission through leadership development, capacity building, program development, financial management and strategic vision of the organization.

For more information about Mudlark Theater, visit www.mudlarktheater.org.