Last Friday Becca and I received our Christmas present from my roommates Solly and Patrick, and our weekend roommate, Chris. It was tickets to go to see the Nutcracker at the State Theater in Minneapolis. We got dressed up a bit and went to eat at Buca Di Beppo’s, which by the way, means Joe’s basement. After dinner we made our way to Block E, parked and then wandered down to the Border’s cafe for some coffee.
Solly forgot the tickets in his car, so while Casey, Heather, Chris, Becca, and I waited in the bookstore, he ran to get them. Patrick and Roxie ended up parking somewhere else, so I don’t know where they were at this time. Solly eventually called us and said that the show starts in a few minutes and that we should run down there. We made our way down the street to the theater and went inside. I recognized the decorum and I think that I saw Stomp on that stage at sometime in the past. I can’t remember for sure though.
The stage curtain was decorated like an ornament and they had this see-through curtain that played with our depth perception. It was a cool effect, but it would have driven me nuts if they used it longer than they did. The performers did well with few exceptions. The little girl that was part of the Russian dance was the best by far though. She was doing flips and at one point she was down in the splits and the two guys picked her up, upside down by her legs and flipped her up, rightside-up, so that she was spread between their shoulders. It was very impressive.
We enjoyed the show. I am thankful for the tickets and the chance to go. Becca and I were talking a little later about how it was very good, but she didn’t like it quite as much as she had expected to. She decided that she doesn’t like the slowness of ballet and she much prefers the speed of something like Stomp or line dancing. I just say that at least we get to say that we have seen the Nutcracker in person, which by the way, today in 1892 was the world premiere at the Maryinsky Theater in St Petersbury, Russia.