Category Archives: Nutcracker

It’s the holiday season once again which means we anticipate the arrival of The Nutcracker to theaters and stages around the country. This magical ballet is something to look forward to each year and many families get excited to kick off their holiday season with an annual viewing of the popular production around this time. 

Nutcracker

The Story of the Nutcracker 

The Nutcracker chronicles the story of a young girl named Clara as she excitedly waits for Christmas Day. The story begins on Christmas Eve as Clara receives a magical nutcracker as an early present from her Uncle Drosselmeyer. Chaos quickly ensues as her brother Fredrick smashes the nutcracker on the floor. The evening takes an even stranger turn when, after all the partygoers are asleep, Clara wakes to a house full of magic, mice, dancing soldiers and more! 

The story of The Nutcracker is fun and fanciful, reminding us all about the magic of this season. From a growing Christmas Tree to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, there are so many fantastical moments to enjoy in this fairytale ballet. 

Here are just a few of our favorite Nutcracker scenes and the backdrops we love to accompany them. 

The Growing Christmas Tree

One of our favorite scenes in The Nutcracker is the “Growing Christmas Tree” scene where Clara awakens in her living room to find her regular-sized Christmas tree expanding to an enormous size all while the room around her seemingly shrinks! The dolls, figurines and Nutcracker grow with the tree to a lifesized appearance. This fanciful transformation scene creates a dreamlike atmosphere that will surely give audiences goosebumps and nostalgia as they anticipate this moment. 

Our backdrop entitled “Growing Christmas Tree Backdrop” is perfect for this particular scene as it adds to the building excitement and magical feelings of the performance. 

The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies 

The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is a well-known musical number in the ballet The Nutcracker that features the Sugar Plum Fairy performing a series of dances for children. This scene is the pinnacle of the ballet and symbolizes Clara’s joy in this moment. The prima ballerina takes center stage during this particular scene and captures the full excitement of the cast and viewers as she dances alone in the spotlight. 

Our “Land of Sweets Backdrop” is ideal for this scene and several others as it displays oversized dessert cakes with meringue clouds and pastel colors leading up to a cupcake palace.

The Party Scene 

Nutcracker

There is nothing quite like the opening scene of The Nutcracker, known as the Party Scene, where adults are dressed in their formal and eye-catching attire dancing and enjoying the holidays together. 

Our Palace Interior Backdrop is perfect to set the stage for this scene with the royal blue drapery, expansive windows and formal palace interior. 

Explore over 130 backdrop options for your performances of The Nutcracker this year! Happy Holidays. 

 

Nothing quite says the holiday season like the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree, the taste of a batch of eggnog, or the sounds of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite ballet playing throughout the home. 

This ballet has delighted adults and children alike for over a hundred years in one form or another. While the original 20-minute performance of the late 1800s was not a complete success, the 1960 version has become wildly popular ​​and is now performed by countless ballet companies, primarily during the Christmas season, especially in North America.

The Story of the Nutcracker Suite 

The story of the Nutcracker Suite is loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann fantasy story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King.

The ballet opens with a view inside the Stahlbaums home, a large and well-adorned house with the largest Christmas tree imaginable. The children, Clara and Fritz Stahlbaum are dancing around welcoming visitors to their holiday party. The party is festive and happy with family and friends in attendance for the holidays. 

When godfather Drosselmeyer, a toymaker, arrives, he presents two life-size dolls to the family. He also gives Clara a beautiful Nutcracker that quickly becomes the hit of the party. Unfortunately, her younger brother breaks the Nutcracker in his youth and excitement of the night. Clara is heartbroken but satisfied when her godfather is able to repair the gift. 

After the partygoers leave and Clara falls asleep with her Nutcracker she begins to experience some strange events. She awakes to find the Christmas tree growing and herself shrinking. The scene becomes a fight scene with the toys around the tree coming to life while the room fills with an army of mice, led by the fierce Mouse King. As the Nutcracker also awakens, he leads his army of toy soldiers into battle with the mice. The Nutcracker can fight no longer but is saved by Clara. 

The scene shifts to a land of snow where the Nutcracker has become a prince and Clara a princess. The snowflakes dancing around her make for a beautiful scene of snow and winter wonderland. 

From there the Nutcracker prince escorts Clara to the Land of Sweets where she is greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Prince tells the Fairy about their daring battle with the army of mice and she rewards them with a celebration of dances.

After her dreamy adventures, Clara awakens by the Christmas tree holding her beloved Nutcracker. 

Backdrop Suggestions for the Nutcracker Suite 

Since the ballet begins at the Stahlbaums home, a formal home backdrop will serve the performance well. This Conservatory Backdrop #N0451 is a neutral Victorian interior with a center staircase leading up to a conservatory.

As Clara fades off to sleep in the living room under the decorated Christmas tree, this Growing Christmas Tree Backdrop #2245 is a perfect way to make the magic of the ballet come to life. 

During Clara’s dream, she visits a snowy landscape as well as the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy with her prince, the Nutcracker. Both of these backdrops will help set the stage for each iconic scene in the ballet. 

The Winter Landscape Backdrop #3242 provides a winter landscape at night with snow-covered mountains and trees.

The Palace of Sweets Backdrop #2544 shows a whimsical palace with frosted cakes inside of candy cane archways.

Want to view more backdrops for the Nutcracker? Check out our full slate of options here

 

Can you smell it in the air? Temperatures are dropping, seasons are changing, and we are rushing headlong into the busy holiday season. Christmas is just a couple of months away! That means holiday music will soon begin to play, stores will be decked out in visions of yuletide greetings, and theater performances depicting the magic of the season will be right around the corner. 

The Nutcracker is one such ballet performance that we have always been fond of here at Backdrops by Charles H. Stewart. In fact, we love the Nutcracker ballet so much we have over 130 Nutcracker backdrops to set the scene for your next performance of this famous theatrical event. 

The Story of the Nutcracker

The Nutcracker ballet is based on the story, “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice” written by E.T.A. Hoffman. While the ballet is slightly different from the original storyline, the basic plot remains the same. 

The story opens on Christmas Eve in the late nineteenth century at the Von Stahlbaum home where Clara and her brother Fritz are excitedly preparing for the next day with family, friends, and guests. As last minute preparations are made for Christmas day the brother and sister join Herr Drosselmeyer, Clara’s mysterious godfather for games and stories.

Drosselmeyer keeps the children and guests entertained with magic tricks and mechanical dolls. While Clara would love to have one of these dolls to keep for herself, she is instead presented with a wooden nutcracker soldier. 

Clara is devastated when a struggle causes the nutcracker doll to fall and break. Her godfather mends the pieces and sends his goddaughter off to bed where her dream then becomes what we know as the Nutcracker Suite! 

Nutcracker Backdrops for Every Scene

Each scene of the Nutcracker ballet takes us through the imagery that Clara creates as she dreams about the Nutcracker soldiers and Mouse King coming to life in her Victorian era home.

Interior Victorian Home

Scene I – The Party Scene

It is this Act , known as the “Party Scene”  and eventual “Battle Scene” where Clara and her family gather for the holiday that can be beautifully set by some of our “Palace” backdrop options. The elegant staircase and stately columns set the stage for a grand room that is in the final stages of preparation for Christmas celebrations.

Interior Victorian Home

More of our Victorian home backdrops include: The Drawing Room #1910, Victorian Interior #1943, Victorian Interior #2251, Victorian Interior (with center fireplace) #2264, Christmas Interior #2460, Palace Interior with French doors #2538, Blue Drapery Interior Victorian #2541, and Christmas Interior with cozy fireplace #3148

Snow Forest

Scene II – The Snow Forest 

In addition to the beautifully adorned palace in this act, Clara also travels through an enchanted snow forest where the Snow King and Queen, as well as Snow Maidens dance for Clara. Some of our backdrops are perfect to set the stage such as the Winter Wonderland shown below or: the Snow Forest #2474, Snow Landscape #2240, and Snow Forest Backdrop #1863.

Sweets

Scene III – The Sweets 

During this act, Clara celebrates the defeat of the Mouse King with the Sugar Plum Fairy as highlighted by many noteworthy dances such as Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Dew Drop Fairy and, of course, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

Candy Land

We have several backdrops for rent that would make the perfect setting for this “Palace of Sweets” portion of the ballet. 

Here are links to several others that would be appropriate for Act II of the Nutcracker: Palace of Sweets #2274, Land of Sweets #1853, and Palace of Sweets (with rotunda) #1946

No matter what version of the Nutcracker your organization is performing, we can help you find the perfect backdrop to set the stage for your holiday performance.