''The Slutcracker'' is a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

version of the 1892 ballet ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'' that is the creation of Lipstick Criminals troupe director Vanessa White. It has been performed in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, and

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The performance incorporates burlesque and tango dancers,

drag kings Drag kings have historically been mostly female performance artists who dress in masculinity, masculine Drag (clothing), drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. As documented in the 2003 ''Journal o ...

, hoopers,

ballerinas A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

acrobats Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

, and belly dancers in a retelling of

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

's ballet from the point of view of a young woman who experiences a sexual awakening during a holiday dream-like sequence.

Plot

The story takes place on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

when gifts are exchanged between a newly engaged adult couple (Clara and Fritz) and a friend (Drosselmeyer). Unlike Tchaikovsky's original story where a godfather gives his niece a "

nutcracker A nutcracker is a tool designed to open nuts by cracking their shells. There are many designs, including levers, screws, and ratchets. The lever version is also used for cracking lobster and crab shells. A decorative version, a nutcracker doll ...

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

" as a gift, this friend chooses to give Clara a vibrator to allow sexual self stimulation. After Clara is embarrassed by the new gift and Fritz feels threatened by it after unsuccessful intercourse, Fritz tries to damage the vibrator. The vibrator repairs itself and, through adamant and persistent action, is able to win Clara over. A battle then ensues in Clara's imagination between her staid, sexually-repressed friends and forces including such entities as batteries, bunnies, and hoopers who are all led by the anthropomorphized vibrator, now known as the Slutcracker. After winning the battle, the Slutcracker transforms himself into a type of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

who takes Clara to a realm of sexual fantasy where repressed desires can be lived out. There she encounters people and things such as dancers who disrobe each other, a bondage

dominatrix A dominatrix ( ; or dominatrices ), or domme, is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. The BDSM practice is called female dominance, or femdom. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily l ...

, pole dancers, Amy (a

candy cane A candy cane is a Walking stick, cane-shaped stick candy often associated with Christmastide as well as Saint Nicholas Day. The canes are traditionally white with red Stripe (pattern), stripes and flavored with peppermint, but the canes also com ...

dildo A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos are made from a number of materials. The shape and size are typically t ...

which shoots artificial snow), topless

fan dance In the West, a fan dance (i.e., a dance performed with fans) may be an erotic dance performance, traditionally by a woman, but not exclusively. Beyond eroticism it is a form of musical interpretation. The performer, sometimes entirely nude ...

rs, synchronized swimmers who engage in a type of

orgy An orgy is a sex party where guests freely engage in open and unrestrained sexual activity or group sex. Swingers' parties do not always conform to this designation, because at many swinger parties the sexual partners may all know each other o ...

and a

fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

who performs a striptease.

Roles in relation to Nutcracker counterparts

The following is a list of roles for the performance:

Act I

Clara- Nutcracker counterpart: Clara Protagonist. A twentysomething female trapped in suburban doldrums, but oblivious to her entrapment until Drosselmeyer gives her a vibrator, which becomes the Slutcracker Prince, who shows Clara a sexual spectrum. Fritz- Nutcracker counterpart: Rat King Antagonist. A twenty-something male also trapped in suburban doldrums, and also oblivious to this fact. Proposes marriage to Clara (which she accepts), but then breaks the engagement when the vibrator arrives on the scene. Fritz battles the Slutcracker Prince for her affection, and loses. Fritz returns later to try to win Clara back, and does after learning to accept sexual variety. Drosselmeyer- Nutcracker counterpart: Drosselmeyer Hero Assist. Drosselmeyer is the giver of the "slutcracker," represented as a pink vibrator. This initially embarrasses Clara, and humiliates/infuriates Fritz, who feels threatened by it. Drosselmeyer pursues and prevails in bestowing the gift, which ultimately grows up to be the Vibrator Prince. Slutcracker Prince- Nutcracker counterpart: Nutcracker Prince Hero. Anthropomorphized Vibrator. Battles suburban doldrums and wins. Has sex with Clara, giving her her first real orgasm, thereby showing her the "light." He then brings her to the land of Sexual Fantasy (ACT II) Party Goers- Nutcracker counterpart: Party Goers (Parents, Grandparents, children) These are Clara and Fritz's friends, all presumably straight, vanilla, suburban couples who attend their Xmas party. Each couple will have its own idiosyncrasies and subplots which will play out beginning with the opening vignettes and continuing through the Battle Scene, when they don "bad" X-mas sweaters and assist Fritz in battling the Slutcracker Prince. NOTE: Not all party goers will participate in the Battle Scene, analogous to the battle between mice and gingerbread soldiers in the original Nutcracker. Team Bad Xmas Sweater- Nutcracker Counterpart: Mice/Rats The Party Goers who participate in the Battle Scene Batteries- Nutcracker Counterpart: Tin Soldiers The batteries quite literally power the Slutcracker Prince and help him to defeat Team Bad Xmas Sweaters. Slutcracker Bunny- Nutcracker counterpart: Bunny The Slutcracker Bunny, much like the Energizer bunny, beats a drum and assists the Batteries. Orgasm Hoopers- Nutcracker counterpart: Snowflakes Illuminated hoop dancers who represent Clara's orgasm (big, spinning, blinking, Os), which ends ACT I

Act II

Bacchanalia- Nutcracker Counterpart: Angels There are TWO COMPONENTS to Bacchanalia, which are called CORPS and FLUFFERS. CORPS are the dancers on stage. FLUFFERS are the dancers flitting about in the audience. The Bacchanalia Corps (lovingly called Baklava backstage) serves as the welcoming committee for Clara and Slutcracker. They welcome her to the land of sexual fantasy where she is invited to be sexy, free, indulged, and entertained. The fluffers will welcome the audience, flitting about, sprinkling rose petals, giving lapdances, high fives, fist bumps, kisses, etc. Tango- Nutcracker Counterpart: Spanish/Chocolate These are an ambi-sexual tango partner dancers, wherein the dancers change partners frequently while disrobing one another. Arabian- Nutcracker Counterpart: Arabian/Coffee Veiled, blindfolded, lesbian-bondage bellydancers. Chinese- Nutcracker Counterpart: Chinese/Tea Traditional Chinese fandancers, except topless. Russian- Nutcracker Counterpart: Russian/Trépak A trio of black PVC-clad dominatrixes number en pointe, with bull whips. Gimp- Nutcracker Counterpart: None A clever device used to set up the stripper pole. Dance of the Reed Pole- Nutcracker Counterpart: Dance of the Reed Pipes A solo pole dance privately entertaining Clara and Slutcracker Polichinelle- Nutcracker counterpart: Polichinelle An orgy of sexually ambiguous clowns. They all have imaginable sex organs, plus long, phallic noses. Waltz of the Flowers & Wet Spot Fairy- Nutcracker counterpart: Waltz of the Flowers and Dew Drop Fairy Six "Petals" encircle the centerpiece, the Wet Spot Fairy. This number is choreographed not unlike a 1960s synchronized swimming number or a geometric Busby Berkeley number (who actually directed at the Somerville Theatre in the 1920s). The costume is very intricate, as the Flower Petals' costumes all physically connect to the Wet Spot Fairy's costume, and all get plucked. Sugar Dish Fairy- Nutcracker counterpart: Sugar Plum Fairy This character performs a solo striptease ''en pointe'', in a tutu. She performs the closing number before the finale.

Reception

The show began its initial holiday run in December 2008 at the prestigious

Somerville Theatre The Somerville Theatre is an independent movie theater and concert venue in the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. Over one hundred years old, the Somerville Theatre started off as a vaudeville house and movie ...

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...

. The popularity of the show exceeded initial expectations as it sold out its first four shows in the 900-seat theatre. Two more shows were subsequently added. In the show's 2009 run, the number of performances were doubled from the previous year. Since the show's initial 2008 run, it has returned to the Somerville Theatre each December for successively longer runs and has expanded its tour to include post-holiday performances during January in Montreal's theatre district. The 2010 tour included 16 shows in Boston and 2 in Montreal.

Controversy

The Slutcracker's overt portrayal of sexual themes created some antagonistic responses from groups such as

MassResistance MassResistance is an American organization that promotes Anti-LGBT rhetoric, anti-LGBT and Social conservatism, socially conservative positions. The group is designated an List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as ant ...

, a conservative Christian group. Specifically the group expressed concern about the positive portrayal of

homoeroticism Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...

promiscuity Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...

, and

strippers A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

as well as the inclusion of props such as the snow-shooting candy cane dildo featured prominently throughout the performance to suggest male

orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling"), sexual climax, or simply climax, is the sudden release of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, characterized by intense sexual pleasure resulting in rhythmic, involu ...

References

External links

Official website
* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_jFuyS7yqY/ YouTube Clip* ttp://www.metro.us/boston/local/article/836406--it-s-a-war-of-words-between-cambridge-somerville/ Role in "quirkiness" battle between Somerville and Cambridgebr>Review in ''Boston Metro''''Boston Globes Critics Picks''New York Times'' articleTelevised interview with ''Slutcracker'' creator Vanessa WhitePromotional trailerFacebook fan pageLipstick Criminals troupe page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slutcracker Christmas in Massachusetts 2008 works The Nutcracker Burlesque in the United States LGBTQ-related controversies in music Obscenity controversies in music Christmas in Canada