The must 'Nut'!

By Adam Warner

If there’s one “Nutcracker” production worth checking out this holiday season, this is it!

“The Hard Nut,” the Mark Morris Dance Group’s 1970s take on the Christmas classic, delivers E.T.A. Hoffmann’s timeless story, about a young girl who is taken to an enchanted kingdom on Christmas Eve by her beloved toy Nutcracker, and Tchaikovsky’s beloved musical score, but with angel flight suits, bell-bottoms, and go-go boots thrown in for good measure.

And after an eight-year absence from the Brooklyn Academy of Music, its return is long overdue. 

The swinging rendition comes back on Dec. 10 to dazzle audiences with whizzing toy mice, boogieing robots, battling G.I. Joe soldiers, groovy guitar players, and dancing Barbie dolls, Not to mention all the original characters like the Nutcracker, Mouse King, and Sugar Plum Fairy will make an appearance.

And, yes, there is disco.

“Hard Nut” at Brooklyn Academy of Music [30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Place in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], Dec. 10–11 and 15-18 at 7:30 pm, and Dec. 12 and 19 at 3 pm. Tickets $25-$70. For info, visit www.bam.org.