Way back in 2016, we went to see the live production of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. This year, Disney+ has released a movie version of the stage show.
Maria-Clara (Caché Melvin) is upset that her parents, Mom (Allison Holker Boss) and Dad (Stephen “tWitch” Boss), aren’t getting along. Thanks to some magic from Drosselmeyer (Comfort Fedoke), Maria-Clara goes back in time with the Nutcracker (Du-Shant “Fik-shun” Stegall) to the night her parents fell in love to figure out how to get them back together.
I loved The Hip Hop Nutcracker stage show. It is an innovative way to bring life to a ballet from the 1890s. They obviously had to make some changes in order to bring it to the small screen and make sure the audience understood what was going on. One of the biggest changes was adding Rev Run from RUN DMC as a rapping narrator. Usually the dancing speaks for itself in The Nutcracker. No one talks the audience through the plot. While I, personally, would have preferred leaving out the narrator, I understand that the point is to bring the show to the masses who may need a little extra help to follow the plot. Thankfully, Rev Run helped write his raps so he was able to put his own flavor in the role. It worked out well.
The best part of Disney having a hand in the movie version of The Hip Hop Nutcracker is that they have the money to bring in some big-wigs in the dance community. We have Stephen “tWitch” Boss and his wife, Allison Holker Boss, as Dad and Mom, Tiler Peck as a ballerina toy that Drosselmeyer brings to life, JabbaWockeez as Snowflakes, Mikhail Baryshnikov as the King of Snow, and Alex Wong as a Candy Cane Dancer. It was truly amazing to see these talented dancers perform on the small screen. I gasped every time a new routine appeared.
I definitely think The Hip Hop Nutcracker is something worth watching. If you are someone who is bored by classical ballet, this will bring you the story in a new, refreshing way. And you’ll get to see some of the best dancers perform without leaving your couch. Then maybe, if the tour is coming to your area, you’ll want to go see it live. It really is a wonderful show.