After reading the review for Ballet San Jose's Nutcracker, I was reminded about the one thing I dislike most about many Nutcracker Productions, the STORY gets lost. I can't tell you how many times that in the second act, there is no Prince or Nutcracker with Clara at all. The best had to be when a young girl sitting a few rows away asked her mom, "What happend to the Nutcracker"? Or the dancer seen earlier as the Prince is now dancing Spanish? Or the Cavalier performs the mime retelling what happend at the battle (like he was there?) Sometimes the story gets so drab and boring, or non existent that I pray the dancers just speak their mind! Can you imagine the prince actually giving a monologue recounting the ordeal of the battle? Ahh, don't even get me started on Dross.

And how about the violence?

You mean like little Gingerbread kids getting there arms and legs eaten off, mice getting blown away by cannon fire, and the mouse king dying of a horrific stab wound? I say, give me more, hee hee.