Nußknacker und Mausekönig
('The Nutcracker and the Mouse King')
based on the fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann

with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky
A guest performance by Theater Waidspeicher, Erfurt

Director: Christian Georg Fuchs
Set and costumes: Mila van Daag
Marionettes: Peter Lutz
Performed by: Karoline Vogel and Tomas Mielentz

On Christmas Eve, her godfather Drosselmeier gives Marie a very special present: a Nutcracker who comes to life at night and protects Marie from the evil seven-headed Mouse King. However, is all of this really happening? Is the Nutcracker alive, or only a dream? Only Marie's strange godfather Drosselmeier knows the answer, because he knows the secret of the Nutcracker, and knows how to release him.

Hoffmann's famous literary fairy tale, written over 200 years ago, about night-time adventures, toys that come to life, dramatic fights and a journey to the wondrous doll kingdom, is told primarily in pantomime with the aid of delicate string puppets, modelling clay and toys, accompanied by Peter Tschaikovsky's ballet score.

The Theater Waidspeicher from Erfurt, which has won various awards and enjoys an excellent reputation as a puppet theatre for children, young people and adults throughout Germany and beyond, is coming to Neuhardenberg, where it has performed several times before, with the fantastic story of the Nutcracker who defeats the Mouse King.