The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition of 1897 can claim at least two lasting legacies: The first is Centennial Park and its replica of the Parthenon, and the second is Nashville’s Nutcracker, Nashville Ballet’s visually splendiferous and beautifully danced production, which opens this weekend at TPAC. First mounted in 2008, Nashville’s Nutcracker relocates Tchaikovsky’s 1892 masterpiece from Russia to the exposition in Victorian-era Nashville — among the many magnificent visuals is a sumptuous re-creation of the Belle Meade Mansion. There’s plenty of magic in this production, including a Christmas tree that grows like Jack’s beanstalk in Act 1. There’s also elegant and refined dancing, climaxing with the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier’s unforgettably beautiful pas de deux in Act 2. The Nashville Symphony Orchestra is in the pit to perform Tchaikovsky’s prismatic score. Ballet artistic director Paul Vasterling has created a production appropriate for all ages, but suffice it to say there’s enough enchantment in this Nutcracker to appeal to the 6-year-old in all of us. See patron.tpac.org for tickets. JOHN PITCHER
Nashville’s Nutcracker
