Hobnob puts 1980s spin on classic Christmas ballet
Cross a perennial Christmas favorite with an episode of “I Love the ‘80s” and the result is “The Nutcracker: New Game — A Holiday Reboot,” a musical that incorporates a martial arts dance number.
Directed by Hobnob Theatre Company co-founder Ken Smith and written by Smith and Deanna Sparrow, this Nutcracker is an 8-bit retelling of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet in which young Clara’s toy nutcracker comes to life to battle the Mouse King in an enchanted Land of Snow.
Smith said, “The Nutcracker: New Game” gives the sense that is a retelling of the story. “Our version won’t be scary at all. It’s a very definitely family friendly.”
In the modernized version, the heroine Clara is a video game nerd and computer whiz who receives a copy of a 1980s video arcade game called “The Nutcracker” for Christmas.
“It seems to have a glitch and she can’t get it to work right,” said Smith. That night, Clara falls asleep and wakes up in an arcade game that is complete with familiar video game characters and meets the evil Rat Queen.
“She ends up using her coding abilities to fix the glitch and allows the Nutcracker to move to a higher level,” said Smith.
Smith’s wife and Hobnob co-founder, Elizabeth Smith, said the cast includes members of Engage Martial Arts who bring a 1980s spin to one of the dance numbers.
“We wanted to capitalize on the popularity of karate and martial arts in the 1980s with a martial arts fight choreography,” Elizabeth Smith said.
Ken Smith said some of the original ballet’s familiar tunes have been adapted into “fun 1980s music.”
“The Nutcracker: New Game” came about after the success of previous holiday adaptions staged by Hobnob, like “Mr. Bob Cratchit’s Merry Christmas Carol Singalong and Variety Show” and “’Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Musical Noir.”
“We got the idea after the “Night Before Christmas” musical. We were looking for a story in the public domain so there would be no royalties. ‘Nutcracker’ is a familiar story, right up there with “A Christmas Carol.’
“It’s a good Christmas story, ripe for a fun retelling. We could adapt it for a modern audience,” Ken Smith said.
“It runs for over an hour. It’s good for kids, good for families. Junior high students will get the video gaming references,” he added.
The cast of 20 adults and junior high students has been rehearsing for the musical’s debut, which is Dec. 19 at the Succop Theater, 107 College Drive — Butler County Community College’s campus.
“It’s a great venue for a fun show. It has more space and a lot of technical elements — sound and lighting- for the staging,” Ken Smith said.
Eventually, Smith hopes “Nutcracker” can be part of Hobnob’s holiday repertory along with “Bob Cratchit: and “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Elizabeth Smith, who is handling the behind-the-scenes organization of the musical, said performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 and 20; and at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at Succop. Tickets can be purchased at Hobnob’s website:Hobnobtheatre.com.
