Then,
mystery of mysteries, he walks away from his cane and still
it stands up unsupported! Even the parents cannot figure out
how he does these wonderful things. But this is just the beginning
…(fig.1
Yury Vetrov as Uncle Drosselmeier; 1st act)
As
the children sit down, the chow begins… Drosselmeier brings
in a mechanical doll dressed like a clown… suddenly it springs
to life and jumps all around the stage… only the most skillful
dancer could possibly imitate this mechanical invention of
Uncle Drosselmeier, yet the doll does it with perfect ease…
even walking on air !(fig.2
D. Peregudov as The Clown; 1st act)
As
the clown bounces out of view and vanishes into thin air,
two more mechanical dolls come to life. These are little elves
who dance together and around each other in a most mischievous
way… all the children laugh at the comical dances and expressions
on the elves’ faces. What a wondrous time everyone is having…
but how does Uncle Drosselmeier do it? Will there be more
magic? (fig.3 U.
Ternovskaja as the Witch and A. Kedrov as the Devil; 1st act)
Suddenly
Uncle Drosselmeier brings in a huge doll, dressed in a beautiful
red military uniform. This, Uncle Drosselmeier explains, is
his special Christmas present for Marie. Unfortunately, the
doll’s face is not handsome for his nose is large and his
mouth is huge. Uncle Drosselmeier explains that he has a special
mouth… so strong it can crack nuts… therefore, he says, this
is a toy mechanical nutcracker. Marie loves the doll at once,
but her brother Fritz is terribly jealous because he didn’t
get a present … so he attacks the Nutcracker and gleefully
breaks it.
(fig.4 N. Arkhipova as Marie, L. Okhotnikiva as Nutcracker
doll, Y. Vetrov as Uncle Drosselmeier and O.Vasuchenko as
Marie’s brother; 1st act)
Marie
is broken-hearted and starts to cry. But Uncle Drosselmeier
immediately comes to the rescue. He lifts the broken Nutcracker
from the floor and, helped by Marie, examines him carefully.
“Yes, the Nutcracker can be fixed,” says Uncle Drosselmeier
, “so you children must all go to sleep now and when you awake
in the morning, the Nutcracker will be mended and in perfect
condition.” Marie helps Uncle Drosselmeier carry the broken
Nutcracker away. (fig.5
N. Arkhipova as Marie, L. Okhotnikiva as Nutcracker doll,
Y. Vetrov as Uncle Drosselmeier; 1st act)
