The Nutcracker
Begins in the US
The pivotal moment for “The Nutcracker” in the United States came in 1944 when Willam Christensen, then with the San Francisco Ballet, staged the first full-length American production of the ballet.
This was a landmark event in American ballet history, as it marked the first time the complete “Nutcracker” was performed in the U.S. The success of this production helped establish “The Nutcracker” as a seasonal tradition.
What was the inspiration?
In the fall of 1944, the famed Ballets Russes toured to San Francisco, bringing choreographer George Balanchine and dancer Alexandra Danilova to Mr C’s dootstep. The three had met years earlier in New York, so Mr C invited them over for drinks at his apartment. Mr C told them about his Nutcracker ambitions and Balanchine and Danilova, having seen the ballet in Russia, shared their memories throughout the night. Balanchine became excited about the project and was quite specific, telling Mr. C about the staging, plot, and characters, while Danilova wanted to share actual steps. “Let him figure out his own steps,” Balanchine told her. (Balanchine would choreograph his own Nutcracker for his New York City Ballet ten years later).
Mr. C immediately went to work and enlisted the community—he only had about three months to stage a brand new production. He spoke to Russian immigrants who had seen the original Nutcracker and had detailed conversations to discuss their memories. Using this information, Antonio Sotomayor, a South American painter, designed and painted the backdrops. Russell Hartley (also cast as Mother Buffoon in the ballet) designed the 143 costumes and built many of them. Mr C mortgaged his house and Harold and Lew also invested personal funds.
On average, they spent less than $7.00 per costume, and were industrious with that money: the red velvet curtain from a demolished theater was cut and sewn into coats for the cast in Act I, and to get around fabric rations, dancers were sent around the city to each purchase their ten-yard limit. The crew worked around the clock; Hartley slept in the costume shop. One exhausted seamstress stitched her costume into her clothes and had to be cut free from the sewing machine!
Come show time, the production shined. The San Francisco Chronicle noted the large ensemble and took pride in the fact that The Nutcracker had been staged first in their city. The San Francisco Examiner stated, “It is remarkable how Director Willam Christensen and his young troupe keep up their excellent standards. When he trains individual dancers to a high pitch, he risks losing them to the national troupes. And the Army takes first call of his young men. Nevertheless, The Nutcracker production is full of color, freshness, and dancing entertainment.” Merrill Osenbaugh, arts critic for the Sacramento Union, attended the premiere and chastised, “We can’t understand why a vehicle of such fantastic beauty and originality could be produced in Europe in 1892, and never be produced in its entirety in this country until 1944. Perhaps choreographers will make up for lost time from now on.”
Mr. Christensen was not only the first person in the United States to kindle an interest in the nutcracker, but he was an excellent teacher.”
Bonny Bell , original cast of
the nutcracker, 1944
