Cut & Assemble a Nutcracker Ballet Toy Theater. A Complete Production in Full Color

When Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky contributed his colorful score to E.T.A. Hoffmann's tale "Nutcracker and the King of Mice" he created one of the most beloved ballets
in the repertoire. The world of The Nutcracker is one of dreams and enchantment: children's playthings come alive; toy soldiers vanquish an army of mica; a little girl voyages with a nutcracker-turnad-prince to a magic kingdom where sugarplums and flowers whirl about in eacotic dances. Since Tchaikovsky's classic ballet premiered in 1892, it has been the dream of young and old to be wafted to this fairy world by attending a full production; once experienced, it is never forgotten.
Now designer Tom Tierney enables you to revive the enchantment in your own living room. With a few basic materials and tools, and a few hours of assembly time (fully detailed instructions and a diagram are included), you can transform the pages of this book into a full-color miniatura replica of a complete theatrical production of The Nutcracker.

Dim the lights. Put on a recording of Tchaikovsky's music. Follow the story with the Synopsis (on the inside back cover). As the Overture plays you view-on a modal of a traditional opera-house stage-a sleepy, snow-covered mountain village on Christmas Eve. For each scene there is another brightly hued backdrop -5 in all- depicting a giant Christmas tree, the living room in the Stahlbaums' mansion, the fantastic Kingdom of Sweets -everything you see in a live production. You will be transported to a fairy world as all the familiar characters appear: the shy Clara, the mischievous Fritz, old Drosselmeyer, the heroic Nutcracker/Prince, the dreaded Mouse King, Mother Ginger and her peppermint children, and dozens more, each meticulously attired in a sparkling costume. Tom Tierney has represented the familiar sequences, too: the Dance of the Snowflakes, the pas de deux of the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier, the Waltz of the Flowers, the divertissements of Chocolate, Coffee and Tea, and more.

Whether you are a confirmed balletomane or know The Nutcracker merely through Tchaikovsky's orchestral suite; whether you want to bring your children under its spell or revive your own enjoyment of a masterpiece of dance theater, this book will afford a unique experience. Though particularly appropriate for Christmas, the Cut & Assemble Nutcracker is a special treat all year round for the young and the young-at-heart.

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