Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

You all should know, I don't do things quite the traditional way. I'm no rulebreaker... but I like to tweak them a bit sometimes. (I know I know.. it was all those Beat Writers I read in High School.)
Despite all the stress and brouhaha, Christmas really is my favorite time of year. And since I was pretty much finished with all my shopping last week, I now can join sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.

And part of the sight and sound of Christmas will always be The Nutcracker. This year however, I was reminded of the other Nutcracker; so tonight I get to tweak with tradition and see a different interpretation of the iconic ballet. And no, Beetle, it doesn't count as Performance Art, I think I'll be safe.

Row: "Hey... do you get CAL discounts to Zellerbach Hall?"
D: "No. ... What's going on at Zellerbach...?"
Row: "Hehehe.. okay...don't laugh... .... The Hard Nut."
D: "The Hard NUT? ... ?"
Row: "HA! It's Mark Morris' modern take on The Nutcracker. It has nothing to do with Bareback Mountain! "
D: "And... you want me to be your date?"
Row: "Uh.. hello. Yeah!"

From culturevulture.net: "Created in 1991, televised for Dance in America a year later, it premiered in Berkeley, California in 1996 and has returned every year since, the only venue other than New York City for this very large production. This work has all the best qualities of the classic Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky’s music and E.T.A. Hoffman’s plot) with none of the cloying sweetness that generations of balletomanes have grown up with and, in some cases, grown sick of. Transported in time to the swinging era of the ‘60s and played for laughs, The Hard Nut is at once a sendup of conventional Russian ballet and an homage. So, if you like your holiday cheer with a dash of wry, you’ll love this.