Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy

I've been going to Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker since the late 70's when it was at the Northrop Auditorium on the U of M campus. The production has adapted to the State Theater extremely well and every year it gets better. The dancers are tremendously talented and the Orchestra brings it all together. We brought friends this year with 2 little children who've never seen a ballet and from the opening moment when the Christmas ornament raised up, their faces were in awe. Please don't ever stop this production. It has been my family's Christmas tradition for 40 years. I couldn't imagine Christmas without Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker. Thank you all for entrancing me and my family every year. It is extremely special to us.

Beautiful venue, great performance. My kid likes it.

Stunning live orchestra, beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy, loved the male Spanish dancer! Will go next year for sure.

The music, costumes, and sets were beautiful. The performance was not perfect, but the overall experience was excellent. I found myself lost in it all, mesmerized by the beauty of the total performance.

This was a delightful show! The live orchestra music was amazing and provided a sweeping soundtrack to the beautiful dancers. My family and I enjoyed it all very much - even from our seats near the back of the balcony.

Have attended this great ballet during its 50 year run. Started at the Northrup and now at the state theatre. As always a superb performance with a live orchestra. Several Nutcracker options are available this time of year, but the Fantasy is tops.

The Nutcracker was very enjoyable. My 5 year old granddaughter was glued to it from beginning to end. This was her third time attending and definitely 5 years old is a great age for this performance. This will continue to be a tradition for our family as it has been for many years. There were some technical glitches during this performance but overall the quality was good. The most enjoyable thing to me is the live orchestra - recorded music just doesn't measure up. Thank you for an enjoyable afternoon.

Our family loved the performance. Our three little girls were on the edge of their seats. The dancers were wonderful. Marie was stunning. We were all pleased with the music! The live orchestra was a welcomed return!

The magic was broken at the end when Maria is brought back home and lo and behold a stagehand is pushing the stairs back in the place! and they forgot to drop the Christmas tree! Glad I went but not a stellar performance.

Excellent! My girls can't wait to go again next year!

The entire performance was captivating from start to finish. The orchestra was fabulously flawless. Many times I was so focused on the ballet and its story that I'd forget to focus and appreciate the beautiful music along with it. Both of those components combined made for a spectacular performance. The ballet was breathtaking to watch; and the costumes were beautiful. What amazing talent--loved it!

The perfect way to kick off the holiday season! It was great to see it at the 50th Anniversary.

We have been attending the MDT Nutcracker every year for forty years. We looked forward to it, always enjoyed it and purchased tickets for others to attend. We have viewed the production as a Minnesota gem, worthy of attention such as being referred to as one of the ten best in the country. We have witnessed the changes in venues and celebrated when it moved to the State Theatre, since the production deserved the 'glory' of the State. We were at the Cowels for the one-year stint and were relieved to see it return to the State. This year, we attended the first performance on Friday evening, Dec. 19. Unfortunately, we were unpleasantly surprised. The first half was "slow." We couldn't figure it out, since the music seemed the same. We were aware of some changes in choreography and general production, which seemed interesting. However, it soon became evident that the dancing did not measure up to the professionalism we have come to expect from the MDT production. One word describes it in general: sloppy. That reference also describes the curtain call, which we have aways appreciated: a quick, creative, spirited 'review' of the entire production through 'touches' of individual sections. However, the final lines of performers taking their final bows was unprofessional, at best. In short, sloppy. We can appreciate organizing such a large company, which always has been choreographed to the finest detail. Not so this year. What has happened? We hope that whatever has caused this year's 'blip' will be addressed and that professionalism will return to next year's production.

Awesome! Gorgeous! Best nutcracker we have ever seen! You must go at least once in your lifetime! Or make it a family tradition. You won't be sorry!

What a great show. Beautiful evening in downtown followed by this wonderful show, it couldn't be better.

I had never seen it before and I took 2 granddaughters, 9 & 11 with me. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The costumes were beautiful, the dancing was enthralling and the State Theater just made it so much more special. Thank you to all the performers, orchestra, and everyone else who had a hand in putting on this ballet.

We were extremely impressed with this presentation. The costumes, talented performers, and orchestra were beyond expectation. The State Theatre was beautiful and the staff were very helpful. The ballet held our 7 year old's attention completely from beginning to end. We would recommend this to anyone.

I loved the performance! My son was disappointed that there was no rat king

Typical Houlton Nutcracker, great costumes and stage settings. This was full of fun and color as always, a Nutcracker for the kids or for those who think they are still kids. I've been going to the Nutcracker for literally decades and it really isn't Christmas without it. Great to see it with a live orchestra again.

Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy never fails to deliver exquisite holiday entertainment. It's attention to style and precision always guarantees sheer delight. This year's return to the State Theatre complete with the beauty of live orchestration provided added sophistication and luster, as well. The total package is truly an annual tradition-worthy event for all ages.

I saw Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy back in the 70's. It was spectacular then, it's even better now! Back then it was in Northrup Auditorium, a venue which was massive. The State Theater is much more intimate! With Phillip Brunelle leading the orchestra I knew the music would be awesome. BUT, the dancing was, in a word, spectacular! Right down to the littlest mouse! It's truly a credit to Ms. Houlton's memory. In the large scenes where everyone (or so it seems) is on stage, it is so well conceived and directed. Everyone has "business"! No one just stands around, yet the "business" does not detract from the dancing, but serves to enhance! THAT is truly amazing! Thank you so much for a wonderful holiday memory!

A wonderful production and interpretation of The Nutcracker ballet. I saw it several times when Loyce Houlton was still alive, and it is still a delight. One criticism: the tutu-like costumes for the female Chinese dancers.

It is my second year. Loved it! Glad there was a live orchestra.

Have seen a dozen or so interpretations of the Nutcracker over the past 25-30 years. The dancing, choreography, and costumes in this performance were lovely! I especially liked the inclusion of the youngest dancers, and the playful touches with the little mice. The opening scenes in the family home are gorgeous-- really wonderful sets and drops. My only criticism of this performance is that it almost seems like the money (or time?) ran out for the sets in Act II! Perhaps it was purely an artistic choice to have such minimalist sets for the dances in the land of sweets (often just lights), but I was missing more of the sumptuous lighting and sets in Act II that I have seen in other performances. And Clara and her prince were removed from the stage to a box up high and seemed very disconnected from the performances because of their location. I did love the live orchestra! Uncle Drosselmeyer, Clara, and the Mouse Queen (an illness substitution) were absolutely wonderful dancers! It was a lovely performance, and our party really enjoyed it as a holiday outing.

Awesome, back at the state theater and orchestra was back,

This was my first time to the State Theatre. It was lovely and I enjoyed the ballet very much.

I was in the audience in 1964 and I last attended the "Fantasy" in about 1981 before this year. The changes are subtle, only enhancing the original. Congratulations to Lise.

This is by far our favorite Nutcracker in the Twin Cities! We see it every year and can't wait for it to be back at the State Theater with the orchestra-it's truly magical! Even my football-loving husband enjoys it.

We have attended various performances of the Nutcracker around the country and this is clearly one of the best. Last year we attended the Moscow Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker and Loyce Holton's production was heads and shoulders above. Phillip Brunell and the orchestra was music to our ears, the mix of professionals and company performers was well balanced, the choreography supreme, costumes and sets out of sight.

This year for Christmas I bought 10 tickets for all my family members ranging from ages 74 all the way down to 24. I remember my parents as a child taking us to see the same show at the Northrup Theater. Everyone enjoyed being together all dressed up to see this Nutcracker. Four of them had never seen it before and as we left said they would make this a yearly event. The attention to detail and the talent of both the orchestra and ballet dancers was so enjoyable. **And a special call out to the floor manager. My wife's son years ago lost his vision in one eye (now 29). After the first ACT he told me of the problem. I explained all he was seeing from our seats was blobs of colors moving around. The floor manager said she would take care of it and walked him down to 2nd row dead center to the stage. What an angel she was this night. Thank you for providing us a night to remember!

Excellent seats, Row M on the main floor. This is a classic production that must be seen at least once by everyone.

In this ballet every role is unforgettable as all keep their character on stage. Every year is very similar with slight nuances so I know what to expect which is nothing short of perfection.

While the show was clearly well-thought-out and the production quality of the set and costumes were very high, the level of talent was far below what was expected for the price of the ticket. My wife and I sat toward the front of the theater and were able to get the full experience. The show was not bad, and was reasonably enjoyable, but too many of the cast were clearly students in early stages of their training, and only two or three members of the company were clearly well-trained professionals. This was a good effort, but the price of the tickets should have reflected the quality of the show, and instead left us feeling as if we overpaid.

I was surprised to find out that the performance had zero dialogue and was mostly just ballet. I was also surprised that there were child actors/actresses who definitely weren't ready for the spotlight. The adult actors/actresses were good but some made mistakes. The performance was solid overall, but it was a little too expensive for someone who doesn't fully appreciate ballet.

No matter how many times I attend this event I never tire of seeing it. Over the years I have seen it many times and yet, when it came to the intermission I had to ask 'have I seen this before?' The production is kept updated and fresh. Truly a delight!

Always amazing. It is a holiday experience you must go.

We went to The Nutcracker at the Historic State Theatre about 15 years ago, and it was amazing. It was only because we expected the same experience again that we were just a bit disappointed. Some of the performers were 100% (the wealthy uncle, the star girl actor, the couple that had a large role towards the end of the performance - especially the female, very talented, the wind-up doll, the couple that performed the Arabian/middle-eastern routine, but some other parts of the show had the disappointing feel of a large high school play, especially I suppose the young boys. We saw The Nutcracker before at the Historic State Theatre, but maybe that time it was performed by the Russian Ballet with primarily adults. It just seemed like this performance had a bit too many children in it of mixed talent that was only partially offset by the few adults with Awesome talent.

I have gone to other Nutcracker performances.....this is absolutely the best! The venue is gorgeous, the orchestra wonderful and the dancing spectacular.

Great. First time to the ballet. Loved it! Beautiful, talented

What a spectacular production! The State Theater was the perfect setting. The acting was amazing and the orchestra was second to none!°

Orchestra was great. Dancers boring. Dancers didn't live up to the music.

The production was exactly right. It was great to see so many young students and they were very well directed. The adults were great! The orchestra and the music were perfect. My 5 year old granddaughter would get distracted but quickly brought back to the performance by the staging.

Excellent! The best performances of performance of the nutcracker I have ever seen.

Once again the Loyce Holton troup has danced a wonderful and beautiful Nutcracker. This is a ballet to see, with family and friends, every year!

This was our 14 year in a row, it has become a tradition in our family, and already planning for next year. Every year when the show is over I want to watch it again!

I go to this production every year. It is beautifully conceived and danced. I would like the Grande Pas de Deux to have more lifts and excitement because the dancers obviously have the talent but that is an artistic choice of the choreographer. Stand out performances by Raina and Kaitlyn Gilleland, Juliet Prine, Jeremy Bensussan, Zachary Manske, General MacArthur Hambrick, and Dario Mejia make this a MUST-SEE. Well Done!

I have seen the Nutcracker in New York, Boston Hartford and several other local places but this is far and away the best production I have ever seen. The dancing is sublime. What this teaching organization produces is world class. I travel half way across the country to see them.

The show was wonderful, the only bad thing I would point out is that, the seats all being on the same level and not ascending towards the back, it was hard to see some points of the stage because of the heads of the people in front of you. But besides that little thing, all in all it was a great night, beautiful music and costumes.

Excellent performance, venue costumes and music...

The music was great and the dancing was fabulous! All of the dancers performed beautifully, even the little kids! It is a long ballet, but I would strongly recommend that others go see it. I love the story as well!

After years of attending the Loyce Houlton Nutcracker with my daughters and friends, I am going to have to say goodbye and try a different on next year. The reasons include: #1: Brutal Editing - What did they do to the entire first hour? I think they wanted to make the show shorter for some reason and brutally edited this whole show down to two hours, eliminating entire parts of the show and editing others. So disappointing. I'd like half my money back. #2: Very Few Professional Dancers - Perhaps in their effort to save (or make) money they decided to have few professionals. And it showed. The ones that had were pretty good but... #3: No Wow Moments. In most ballet, there are many moments that leave the audience awed, breathless, fully amazed at what these professionals can do. There was almost none of that in this show. When a little girl who can do contortions and be swung upsidedown by two grown men gets the biggest applause, you know there is something wrong with the rest of the ballet. These dancers seemed to just be going through the motions. Nothing amazing and no reason to go back.

A delightful event to take my 88 and 89 year old parents; orchestra and costumes were wonderful

This production was outstanding. The music moving. The dancing enthralling. We had attendees from 58 - 4 years of age. All loved it.

The last time I saw this Nutcracker was back in the 1990s, but then I saw it numerous times since we had a daughter performing in it. This version, especially the second half, has been drastically revised and not for the better. The dancers were weak, the Rat Queen should be an evil presence (in the old days she drew boos at the curtain calls), and the pas de deux dancers were not very strong. All in all, for the price, there are much better holiday shows out there!

This production of the Nutcracker is amazing. Brilliant, charming, and magical! The dancing, breathtaking! Make it a holiday tradition!

This production is magical. I brought some young friends and they were as mesmerized as I was. Jen and Don hadn't seen it since they were children. Charlotte, who is 6, paid attention through the whole performance and clapped like a trooper. Her 5 year old sister, Delilah, enjoyed it too, especially the mice and the toys. It put us all in the Christmas spirit and made for a perfect day.

Our 2 girls (ages 3 & 7) absolutely loved this show and were completely entranced by the dancers, the costumes and the spectacle of it. Beautifully done. The all ages cast makes this production especially relatable for kids.

The Nutcracker ballet already has beautiful music. This show was colorful, tasteful, and wonderful. The dancers has such grace and elegant style of dancing. The children added humor to the show. A wonderful family tradition with new twists and turns. We cannot wait to go back next year again.