Some \u201cNutcracker\u201d productions lean simple and understated, while others aim to wow. Long Beach Ballet\u2019s does the latter \u2014 and then some.<\/p>\n
Now in its 43rd year, Long Beach Ballet returns to the Terrace Theater with its larger-than-life production of \u201cThe Nutcracker,\u201d running Dec. 13 through Dec. 21 with six performances accompanied by a full symphony orchestra.<\/p>\n
Regularly named \u201cThe Nation\u2019s Best-Loved Nutcracker\u201d by Goldstar, this holiday tradition remains one of Southern California\u2019s most spectacular seasonal events.<\/p>\n
Performances take place at the Terrace Theater inside the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, where audiences enter through the grand plaza and its color-shifting fountain display.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Long Beach Ballet\u2019s annual production of \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d returns to the Terrance Theatre Dec. 13-20. (Photo by Katie Ging)\n<\/p>\n
![\"Long](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GRG-L-CALENDAR-1214.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Long Beach Ballet\u2019s 41st anniversary production of \u201cThe Nutcracker,\u201d runs Dec. 16-17, and Dec. 22-23 at the Long Beach Terrace Theatre. (Photo courtesy of Long Beach Ballet)\n<\/p>\n
![\"Tea,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LPT-L-NUTCRACKER-1211.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Tea, The Chinese Dance, is one of the favorites in \u201cThe Nutcracker.\u201d Pictured are twins Sadie and Saxon Woods in the 2014 production. (Courtesy Long Beach Ballet)\n<\/p>\n
![\"Dancers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LPT-L-LBNUTCRACKER-1125-GRG1125.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Dancers perform one of the big numbers in Long Beach Ballet\u2019s \u201cThe Nutcracker.\u201d (Photo by Katie Ging)\n<\/p>\n
Show Caption<\/p>\n
1 of 4<\/p>\n
Long Beach Ballet\u2019s annual production of \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d returns to the Terrance Theatre Dec. 13-20. (Photo by Katie Ging)\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n Inside, the soaring glass-walled lobby and suspended staircases set an appropriately magical tone before curtain.<\/p>\n As always, under the artistic direction of David Wilcox and the baton of Roger Hickman, the Long Beach Ballet Orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky\u2019s score exactly as the composer intended, including the rare use of two harps.<\/p>\n It\u2019s one of the only productions in the region to feature a full symphony orchestra instead of a pre-recorded track, lending the performance lushness and immediacy.<\/p>\n And when you\u2019ve got a flying sleigh, on-stage pyrotechnics, a real live horse, and a cast of more than 200 dancers, this production really blossoms.<\/p>\n As Wilcox notes, \u201cYou can hate ballet and you\u2019ll still like this production.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, the impact of Long Beach Ballet\u2019s Nutcracker stretches far beyond the city. Hundreds of thousands worldwide have experienced it through live tours, international collaborations and televised broadcasts.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s nothing quite like seeing its scale and artistry unfold in person.<\/p>\n Performances begin Saturday, Dec. 13. For a full list of dates and tickets, go to longbeachnutcracker.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018A Charlie Brown Christmas\u2019<\/p>\n There are few sounds more capable of stirring up some holiday nostalgia than the swinging piano melodies of the soundtrack to \u201cA Charlie Brown Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n On Saturday, Dec. 6, five-time Grammy-nominee David Benoit brings those sounds \u2014 and more \u2014 to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, with singer Courtney Fortune and the All-American Boys Chorus joining him for an evening of seasonal magic.<\/p>\n Benoit, a towering figure in contemporary jazz whose career spans nearly five decades, has long been linked with the Peanuts legacy \u2014 composing and performing for multiple modern adaptations of Charles Schulz\u2019s world of Charlie Brown.<\/p>\n His affection for Vince Guaraldi\u2019s iconic holiday soundtrack is well known, and over the years he\u2019s turned it into a holiday tradition for many.<\/p>\n But this concert isn\u2019t just a stroll down memory lane. Expect a show that blends the comforting familiarity of \u201cLinus and Lucy,\u201d \u201cSkating\u201d and \u201cChristmas Time Is Here\u201d with the sensitive elegance that Benoit brings from his decades of work, both as a jazz pianist and as a composer and arranger for orchestra, film and television.<\/p>\n Joining him on stage, vocalist Courtney Fortune and the youthful harmonies of the All-American Boys Chorus add texture, transforming what might feel like a cozy jazz set into a full-bodied holiday concert.<\/p>\n The result? Music that should speak to both children and longtime fans of Benoit and Peanuts.<\/p>\n For the kind of feeling that stays with you long after the last note fades, this concert is one to mark on your calendar.<\/p>\n