An interactive sand show after E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Introduce your kids to the masterpieces of the world's heritage as well as to the new and fascinating technique of sand animation this Christmas with the new production of the classical fairy tale.

"The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" is a story written by E. T. A. Hoffmann, in which young Marie Stahlbaum's favourite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. In 1892, the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky turned the adaptation of the story into the ballet The Nutcracker and made it one of the favourite Christmas fairytales in the world.

The production of 274 Theatre is making the most of the legendary Christmas story and the amazing music by Tchaikovsky with presenting an original English text adaptation and musical transcription for piano made by Mikhail Pletnev. The music is performed by a Russian London based virtuoso pianist Konstantin Lapshin, a multiple international award winner. The amazing live visual sand performance to accompany the story is created live by one of the leading sand animators in the Europe Alyona Voynova (Germany), and the ballet choreography is created and performed by the classical Russian dancers leaded by Svetlana Malinina.

The show is 55 minutes long and is suitable for kids 5+.

Directed by Konstantin Kamenski

Choreography by Svetlana Malinina

Piano: Konstantin Lapshin

Storyteller: Alexander Mercury

Sand Artist: Alyona Voynova (Berlin)