NYC Ballet Presents George Balanchine's The Nutcracker LiveMovie Reviews

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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2011
A wonderful Nutcracker

by Dexterous

Great! An amazing production. Performances and cinematography were captivating. My only suggestion: spend some of the pre-curtain time showing the musicians more, and list them in the credits. They were an essential part of this experience. Overall, this is a unique, rewarding way to experience a ballet and I wouldn't have missed it.
- 6 out of 8 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 20, 2011
Up Close and Personal

by Innekeeper

For the last 4 years (when each of my grandchildren turn 7 years old) we go to see the Nutcracker and have Tea with the Sugar Plum Fairy in Philadelphia. They love it! The camera angles and shots allowed us to see each of the acts, dancers and ballerinas and even the orchestra in an up close and personal way. We could even see the makeup on Mother Ginger and the shoes (how come that dude is wearing high heels? from my 8 year old grandson!) Herr Drosselmeir wears! We enjoyed all the behind scenes interviews and fun facts such as the size and weight of the Christmas tree and how much and what the snow looks like. We had an interactive experience too, in that we clapped and laughed along with the NY audience. We had a wonderful time and it was much less expensive. I will do it again next year if available!

Thanks so much - what a super idea!

Innekeeper
- 8 out of 12 found this review helpful.
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Written December 14, 2011
Nutcracker Ballet

by 300max

For the first 20 minutes the audience could only hear the music which was frustrating. There was no visual, due to technical difficulties. Once the movie theatre resolved the technical difficulties, the program was re-started. For the price we paid, it was a good value. Not as good as being there in person, but good nonetheless. The Sugar Plum fairy was the best I've ever seen and I've seen this ballet many times!
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Written December 14, 2011
Stunning Presentation, All That I Hoped It Would Be!

by amcelwee92

If you cannot go to see the New York City Ballet's "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker", then see it in an IMAX Theater. I personally think it's better, because you avoid traffic and always get a great close seat. The interviews with the cast before the show and during intermission was a treat!
I always wanted to see this ballet, and now I feel like I've really been there.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2011
The Nutcracker LIVE

by meatzu

This was TRULY THE BEST! I sure hope to see more events like this coming in the near future! It was almost better then the real live event as you got to go behind the curtain to meet the dancers and the editing up close was so neat throughout the ballet! LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 16, 2011
A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! A must see.

by duvalin68

You cannot past this great opportunity to see the best ballet dancers performing directly from NYC. It is an awesome experience that make you wish really bad to be there live.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2011
Too bad it only showed one time!

by elyshas_mom

PHENOMENAL! This was the most fantastic opportunity in Salinas! To see the NYC Ballet live! We took my 3 1/2 yr old and she stayed up not only the whole time, but by the 2nd act, I had to take her to the back side of the aisle so she could dance. She (and we) absolutely loved it! She wanted to know when it was playing again! I hope we have a chance to see a lot more Fathom Events!
- 6 out of 8 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2011
NYC Ballet Presents the Nutcracker - just like being onstage

by peggysays

It was a fabulous presentation for ballet lovers and kids of all ages. I was surprised at the low attendance. I presume that marketing was limited because of the Houston Ballet's Nutcracker performances
- 6 out of 8 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2011
The Nutcracker Live was superb

by Movie317Lover

The performance was wonderful. The dancers were simply brilliant. The only downside was that Kelly Ripa was the host. Her questions included, "You mean it's not REAL snow in that scene?" To make things even worse, she plugged her own television show at least three or four times.

Why not let Peter Martins himself (ballet master in chief of the New York City Ballet) act as the host? He would certainly be an improvement. Even dealing with Kelly Ripa's vapid questions, the dancers proved bright and articulate. The young dancers were especially fun to listen to. The short piece on pointe shoes which preceded the performance was a bonus.

In short, this was well worth the ticket price.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2011
NYC Ballet Presents George Balanchine's The Nutcracker

by dant949

This was my first experience with seeing a live performance broadcast in a movie theater and it was much better than I expected. It was almost better than being there in person and the ticket price was very reasonable for such high quality entertainment. I had never seen The Nutcracker ballet in any venue and my wife and I throughly enjoyed it. The dancing and music was magnificent and Kelly Ripa's backstage interviews during the intermission between the two acts just added to the experience. We will definitely see more live performances via the movie theater. We loved it.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2011
Live Nutcracker

by jodymcgeen

This was a great way to see the Nutcracker ballet. Interviews with the dancers during intermission gave a personal connection so that when I saw them dance in the second act I felt more engaged with their performance. As a long fan of the ballet I had often felt the party scene of the first act could sometimes drag but not so in this version. The dancing and acting of the children was top rate and I could see Fritz tiring as the party wore on causing him to be more disruptive and cranky. Typical little boy at a late night party. I enjoyed seeing the Nutcracker on the big movie screen and hope that you will too.
- 8 out of 12 found this review helpful.
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Written December 14, 2011
NYCB Nutcracker

by JudyNeale

It was wonderful to see this ballet again after thirty years (I no longer live in NYC). I was a little bored by Kelly Ripa although I suppose her wide-eyed enthusiasm is apparently one of the things that endear her as a morning TV host (I had to ask my neighbors who she was). The piece on pointe shoes was excellent. The interviews were obviously aimed at kids. The interview about Mother Ginger was delightful. The whole point is the ballet itself, and it was lovely, especially as there's no way to fly 5,000 miles to see it in person. Thank you for making it available. I'm just sorry the audience was so small. We have a local Nutcracker opening later this week so some folks may have stayed away thinking this was somehow in conflict. It isn't, and I'll be going to that one too.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2011
NYC Ballet Presents George Balanhine's The Nutcracker Live

by Mema Jane

We were thrilled by seeing the HD presentation of this ballet! The cameras bring us up close and personal so we got to see secrets and costumes and expressions and hear interviews with important dancers. All wonderful!

(The only negative is that we feel silly applauding in a movie theater when the performers can't hear us and the surrounding audience doesn't also feel comfortable clapping.)

Several solo and duet dances drew our appreciation and moved us to feel like applauding.

(Another criticism would be that I don't think these HD broadcasts are publicized enough - there should be bigger audiences wanting to come!)

We considered traveling into NYC during Thanksgiving while visiting CT but were saved time and money and effort by the Live in HD show here 5 minutes from our home near Syracuse NY.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2011
Lincoln Center "The Nutcracker" Live

by keriecks

Dancing, scenery, audio, costumes, and intermission narration all superb.

Problem: watching in a theater with many who talk constantly through the performance saying how each lift or costume was the best they'd ever seen. So, beware: sit by yourself which means you will not be able to sit in the middle of the theater, vertically or horizontally.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 14, 2011
The Nutcracker LIVE

by smartee78

The ballet was wonderful. My 4 yr. old had never seen a ballet so the lack of words was a surprise for her but she enjoyed it and remained attentive throughout. She especially loved the children dancers.
- 6 out of 9 found this review helpful.
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