If you’re craving a Nutcracker fix this season, you might as well see it performed by the best: The Cincinnati Ballet’s acclaimed version of the holiday perennial stops at Playhouse Square this weekend. Choreographer Val Caniparoli uses most of the basics — toy soldiers, a ginormous Christmas tree, and Tchaikovsky’s famous score. But all of the dancers are adults, and the set is a stunning mix of grown-up realism and childhood fantasy.
Dec. 6-8, 7 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 9, 1 & 7 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 10, 1 & 6 p.m.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2006.