A somewhat unusually scene in front of the Croatian National Theatre.
Mass of people waiting for hours in a long line usually means there is a major sports event coming up, or maybe there is a sale in one of the more popular shops. But, the people waiting yesterday in front of the Croatian National Theatre building in the centre of Zagreb were waiting for something completely different, reports Telegram on November 3, 2017.
The Croatian National Theatre has started selling tickets for its traditional holiday season performances of one of the most popular ballets in the world, The Nutcracker. The ticket office was opened at 10 am, and a vast number of people created a long line in front of the theatre building, waiting to buy tickets which cost between 90 to 160 kunas.
The ballet The Nutcracker was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, based on the story “The Nutcracker and The Mouse King” of E. T. A. Hoffman. Many ballet companies in the world have in their holiday season repertoire this ballet, which was first performed on 18 December 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Sankt Petersburg.
The action starts with young girl Clara being left without a present at a Christmas celebration in her home, so Herr Drosselmeyer gives her a uniformed soldier, The Nutcracker.
During its existence, the ballet company of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb has presented several different versions of The Nutcracker. The most recent premiere was presented in 2011, choreographed by Derek Deane. According to the theatre, he has created a magical ballet story by trying to take the audience to the dreams and show the world different from ours, following a goal of Tchaikovsky to present a story which is fantastic, magical, mythical and legendary.
Director of the Croatian National Theatre Dubravka Vrgoč commented on the long lines. “Today’s interest in The Nutcracker proves that the theatre in Croatia is extremely important and that even in these times when certain values are being marginalised, the theatre can succeed in winning a place in the centre of interest of the citizens of Zagreb.”
