Nutcracker for 5 year old boy?
I have an active 5 year old boy, and I'd like to take him to see the Nutcracker. He's been to musicals through the Bay Area Children's Theatre, and they were just about short enough for him to sit through. Any recommendations? I would have loved to take him to the one in Alameda but I hear they are not performing this year. Thanks!
Nov 9, 2016
Parent Replies
If you're thinking of the full-length Nutcracker, I wouldn't recommend it for a 5 year old unless he is into dance and already familiar with the music. We took our son to see it when he was in 1st grade - he was very bored and it was really a waste of an expensive ticket. I think it's too long for kids this age to enjoy - there are long stretches of pure ballet which is pretty boring for little kids - you see them squirming in their seats for all but the most thrilling scenes, which are few and far between (the Xmas tree that grows, the sword fight with rats). I would wait till he's 8 or 9 at least, and play him the music beforehand a few times so it's familiar. After he sees the Nutcracker, take him the next year to see the Hard Nut (Mark Morris.) Very entertaining! In the meantime you might try one of the shorter regional productions, or try the Velveteen Rabbit at the Yerba Buena Center - it was a hit with my kid. It's relatively short, and has a story line kids can follow.
Agree with first respondent, most 5 year olds regardless of gender can't sit still/quietly that long. Two years ago I borrowed the DVD of the NY Ballet's Nutcracker with Macauley Culkin, and we watched it at home with frequent wiggle breaks for my then 4 & 6 year olds, it was perfect.
We got free tickets to the SF Ballet Nutcracker when my daughter was 2.5. I thought it would be crazy to take her, but since the tickets were free I thought we could leave if she got too squirmy. Well it turned out that she 1. lasted through it better than I expected, and 2. there were a few rows in the back of the balcony that were completely empty, so we moved back there were she could move around a little bit.
http://contracostaballet.org/company/the-nutcracker/
only one hour long; in Walnut Creek. I haven't been yet but taking my 6yr old niece this year...
I've taken my boys to see the Oakland Ballet Nutcracker starting when they were 5 years old. My younger son may have gone when he was 4. They were mesmerized by the performance and could easily sit through it. We read the book and listened to the music beforehand so they were familiar with both. There are lots of children at the matinees. I highly recommend the Oakland Ballet's Nutcracker at the beautiful Paramount theater. This year it is on December 17th and 18th.
I started taking both my kids to the Nutcracker when they were around 4, but we went to the absolutely delightful abbreviated version at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. There's a "narrator" (you can't be too much of a purist if you want to enjoy this version), which really helps little kids get the story, and the sets and costumes are incredibly colorful and vibrant. The show is only an hour, I believe, and does cut out some of the music, but it was SUCH a wonderful introduction to this lovely ballet, and I think helped both kids enjoy the longer "real" performance much more when it came time. I think it's only playing Nov. 25-27 this year: https://lesherartscenter.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=681
A wonderful Nutcracker production to take a young child to is the one staged annually at the Julia Morgan Theater by Berkeley Ballet Theater. I took my daughter to her first ballet there when she had just turned 3, and we went every year after that for 10 years. It's really charming. Many of the young dancers are students, which really grabbed my daughter's interest. The Julia Morgan Theater is small, and we sat fairly close to the stage, so my daughter could always see what was going on. Unfortunately, she lost interest during her teenage years, but has great memories of those productions.