The Nutcracker

Performance Details

When December 6–28, 2024
Choreography ©Christopher Wheeldon
Where Lyric Opera House
Music Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Running Time 2 hours

Experience magic this holiday season with two-time Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon's 'The Nutcracker'.

On a magical Christmas Eve, mere months before the opening of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, Marie and her mother, a sculptress creating the fair’s iconic Statue of the Republic, partake in a festive celebration with a surprise visit from the mysterious Great Impresario. That evening, after awakening to an epic battle between Toy Soldiers and The Rat King, Marie is swept away by a Nutcracker Prince on a whirlwind journey to the dreamlike fairgrounds of the World’s Columbian Exposition with sprawling attractions represented by countries from around the globe.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score, The Nutcracker features a celebrated creative team, including two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, Tony Award®-nominated set and costume designer Julian Crouch, Caldecott Medal Award-winning author Brian Selznick, Obie and Drama Desk award-winning puppeteer Basil Twist, Tony Award®-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz and Tony Award®-winning projection designer Ben Pearcy.

Casting

See casting information for 'The Nutcracker'.

Casting

Program Book

Read the program book ahead of your performance - complete with synopsis, company artist roster, artistic and production team biographies, and more.

Program Book

Schedule and Tickets

Group Sales

Season Tickets

Friday, December 27

2:00 pm
Buy Tickets

7:00 pm
Buy Tickets
Saturday, December 28

2:00 pm
Buy Tickets

Behind the Curtain with Production Manager Shandee Vaughan

It is Christmas Eve in Chicago, 1892. Workers from around the world are constructing the World’s Columbian Exposition, which will open in five months. Workers from the fair and their families soon arrive at the shack with decorations, a small tree, and much food and drink. A wonderful Christmas party begins.

The mysterious Great Impresario, the man who has designed and created the World’s Fair, brings the magic of the season to life.

The Joffrey’s beloved version of The Nutcracker takes inspiration from Chicago's 1893 World's Fair, one of the city’s great historical attractions of the late 19th century.