Sir Peter Wright And Birmingham Royal Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER Returns To The Stage This Christmas

Following the sell-out success of Black Sabbath -The Ballet this autumn, the award-winning Birmingham Royal Ballet will make a spectacular return to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage this Christmas with their beloved staging of Sir Peter Wright's The Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker features 60 dancers accompanied by Tchaikovsky's magical score played live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia in what has become a traditional festive treat for the whole family, widely renowned as one of the finest productions of the classic tale in the world. 

Set on Christmas Eve, The Nutcracker revolves around a young girl named Clara, who receives a Nutcracker doll as a Christmas gift from the magician Drosselmeyer. The Nutcracker comes to life as a Prince and the magical journey begins.

In 2022, after over 30 years, the production was given a sparkling new breath of life with beautiful new sets and costumes by the production's original designer, John MacFarlane. This year BRB is once again ready to dazzle audiences in an enchanting winter wonderland of dancing snowflakes, magical Christmas trees and the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Nutcracker runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from Fri 17 Nov - Sat 9 Dec with Principal casting now announced - visit brb.org.uk for more information.

New for this year, and continuing The Nutcracker theme, BRB has partnered with RiVR, a UK-based virtual reality company to bring a new look to a much-loved favourite. The 12 Days of NutcrackAR is the world's first Nutcracker-themed augmented reality walking trail around Birmingham.

Opening on 4 November at a special BRB Nutcracker themed free event at the Bull Ring, the NutcrackAR, part of the company's pioneering *Virtual Stage, offers everyone the chance to discover the hidden world of some of the props and costumes from the production.

Using a smart device such as a phone or tablet, viewers can see the Sugar Plum Fairy Tutu and  its many hand-sewn pearls and sequins, the heavily embroidered coat of King Rat and the famous Christmas Tree where you can see graffiti from dancers and crew from over 30 years of shows!

Each day of the countdown to opening night will highlight a different AR site across the city.  Content will be accessed through posters presented in various formats housing unique QR codes with AR content, descriptive text and voiceover plus links to ticketing information.

After opening night of The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome on 17 November, BRB's NutcrackAR will also be accessible in and around Hippodrome Square so audiences leaving the ‘reality' of a performance will be able to enjoy this ‘augmented reality' for the duration of The Nutcracker season. 

*Virtual Stage is a pioneering project featuring content developed in collaboration with Canon and RiVR funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies' Digital Accelerator Programme.

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