Review for The Nutcracker at The Smith Center (12/21/14)
My Background: 28 yr-old female. As a child, I watched the 1992 movie version, so that was essentially my only comparison. I saw it once on stage. I've never seen any other ballets.
I watched this with my brother (a music major) and my 78-yr-old (LDS/ Mormon) grandmother from Idaho. My grandmother (unsurprisingly) commentated on the "skimpy" outfits of the female dancers, also saying something to the effect of "the men can get away with it." However, she was very impressed with the costumes overall, the props, transitions, and the backgrounds (as was I). They had some imaginative and striking costumes. The music was, of course, beautiful.