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Displaying items by tag: The Hip Hop Nutcracker

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to welcome trailblazing hip hop artist and Chicago legend Da Brat as special guest host and MC at THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER, playing at Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) Individual tickets are on sale now. Ticket prices range from $39 to $120 with a select number of premium seats available and may be purchased at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Additional fees apply for online purchases. Group sales of 10+ are available now by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling (312) 977-1710. See below for more ticket information and the performance schedule.

Featuring an all-star cast of dancers, an on-stage DJ, and an electric violinist, the family-friendly holiday spectacle brings a modern twist to Tchaikovsky's 130-year-old ballet and has thrilled audiences through more than 250 performances in over 70 cities.

Da Brat brings her groundbreaking history to the show. Born and raised in Chicago, she attended Kenwood Academy and The Academy Of Scholastic Achievement where she played seven different instruments in band. Her 1994 debut album, Funkdafied, entered the rap albums chart at number one and went platinum, making her the first female solo rapper to sell one million units. Her career has spanned music, television, radio and stage, with collaborations and performances alongside artists including Jermaine Dupri, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Aaliyah and The Notorious B.I.G. "I'm so excited to step into THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER for the first time and bring my own energy to such a creative celebration of hip hop and the holidays," says Da Brat. "The show has so much movement, personality, and spirit, and I can't wait to experience it with audiences in Chicago."

THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER is directed, choreographed, and co-created by Jennifer Weber, an Emmy winner and two-time Tony and Olivier Award nominee who also choreographed the international hit musical & Juliet, currently playing on Broadway. Executive producing is four-time Tony winner and two-time Olivier Award-winning producer Eva Price, whose productions have garnered six Olivier Awards, two GRAMMY Awards, two Emmy Awards and 20 Tony Awards. The remixed and reimagined version of the classic story turns the beloved Nutcracker score on its head. Hip hop dance and Tchaikovsky's timeless music blend together for a heart-stirring and inspirational holiday event that takes audiences on a journey celebrating love, community, and the magic of the holiday season.

Just like the original, Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker Prince go on a dream adventure battling a gang of mice, visiting the land of sweets and learning the lessons of the holiday season. Innovative digital graffiti and visuals transform the landscape of E.T.A. Hoffmann's beloved story from traditional 19th-century Germany to the vibrant, diverse sights and sounds of contemporary New York City.

Created in 2013 by Weber and writer Mike Fitelson, the production has continued to evolve through the creators' commitment to enhancing the show and a cast of dancers and breakers who raise the bar each year.

For tour dates and more information, visit www.hiphopnutcracker.com. For the latest news and updates follow THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER on Facebook and Instagram; #HipHopNutcracker.

 

TICKET INFORMATION (as of 9/16/26, based on availability and subject to change)
Individual tickets range from $39.00 to $120.00 and may be purchased at www.BroadwayInChicago.com or any Broadway In Chicago box office. A select number of premium seats are available. Additional fees apply for online purchases. For groups of 10 or more, email Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (312) 977-1710. Patrons can participate in a Digital Lottery for a chance to purchase $30 tickets for each performance. In addition to the lottery, a limited number of $49 rush tickets will be offered for each performance—available only in person at the box office on the day of the show. Click here for more information on Digital Lottery and In-Person Rush or visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT EVA PRICE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
Eva Price is an NYCLU/ACLU honoree and Tony and Olivier Award-winning producer. Select Broadway credits include & Juliet, Titaníque, Liberation, Redwood, Jagged Little Pill, Oklahoma!, What the Constitution Means to Me, Dear Evan Hansen, and Peter & The Starcatcher. Off-Broadway, touring, and international credits include Titaníque (NYC, London, Canada, Australia, Paris), The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Shit. Meet. Fan., Mindplay, and Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical.

ABOUT JENNIFER WEBER (DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER)
Jennifer Weber's Broadway, West End, and international credits include & Juliet, 13 Going on 30, KPOP, Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical, and Kane and Abel. Additional credits include Take the Lead, American Idiot, Bring It On!, Teenage Dick, and Cruel Intentions. Film and television credits include Disney's Zombies 2 and the Emmy Award-winning While You Were Gone. Weber also co-created, directed, and choreographed the annual international holiday touring phenomenon The Hip Hop Nutcracker, and executive produced and co-choreographed The Hip Hop Nutcracker television special for Disney +.

ABOUT MIKE FITELSON (WRITER/CO-CREATOR)
Mike Fitelson is the CEO of the United Palace, the 96-year-old Wonder Theatre in Washington Heights, Manhattan’s 4th  largest theatre. In 2014 as the executive director of the nonprofit United Palace of Cultural Arts (UPCA) he co-created “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” with Jennifer Weber, adapting the story and supplying the images for the scenery, and produced its premiere. Fitelson has worked to build the Northern Manhattan arts community for 24 years. He co-founded the annual arts festival, the Uptown Arts Stroll, in 2003; served in every capacity of the Manhattan Times, the bilingual community newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood, from 2002-2011; and helped found the nonprofit Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance in 2006. 

ABOUT MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTIONS (MEP)
MEP (General Management) is a producing and management company founded by Avram Freedberg, Mary Beth Dale, Eva Price, and joined by Director of Operations Brent McCreary in 2024 and COO Michael Page in 2026. Select general management credits include Titaníque, Small Mouth Sounds, Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical, The Lion, The Hip Hop Nutcracker, and Colin Quinn: Long Story Short. maximumcompany.com

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 26 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium™.
Follow @BroadwayInChicago on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky #BroadwayInChicago

Published in Upcoming Theatre
Wednesday, 13 December 2023 13:12

Review: The Hip Hop Nutcracker at Cadillac Palace

As someone who has seen Tchaikovsky’s timeless holiday classic, The Nutcracker, performed many times over, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect last night at the Cadillac Palace’s presentation of The Hip Hop Nutcracker.

But after experiencing the grandeur and soaring beauty of Tchaikovsky’s magical musical tale of a young girl and her Nutcracker prince reimagined as a modern-day love story set in a gritty urban backdrop and performed by a very talented and athletic ensemble of hip hop dancers, I was completely sold.

Yes, there still is Maria-Clara and her Nutcracker prince, the Mouse King and his gang, and the mysterious Drosselmeyer cast as a magical toymaker, but under the skillful direction and choreography of Tony and Olivier Award-nominated Jennifer Weber, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is completely turned on its head – figuratively, and to be honest, literally.

Rather than the breathtaking leaps and twirls of ballet dancers, the audience was riveted by the gravity-defying breakdancing moves with performers springing from one-handed handstands to another and then spinning on their heads. The choreography was so cleverly intertwined with Tchaikovsky’s familiar orchestration that you could almost imagine that he actually intended his famous opus for hip hop.

The tone of the evening was set by special guest MC Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop’s founding fathers, with a brief homage to this genre’s 50th anniversary. Along with DJ Boo, a New York-based performance DJ, Blow masterfully invited the audience to sing and dance along as he moved through a mix of hip hop classics through the years. The audience loved it.

In this retelling, Maria-Clara (Halima Dodo) is upset by her parents’ constant bickering during the annual uptown holiday street party. Drosselmeyer (Tumelo “Melo” Khupe) appears, bringing magical toys to the party and introducing Maria-Clara to a street vendor (Anthony “Omen” Cabrera) selling roasted nuts, appropriately called the Nutcracker. The party breaks up, and while Maria-Clara is on her way home, she runs into the menacing Mouse Crew. Aided by a pair of magical red sneakers hanging on a lamp pole, the Nutcracker springs to her defense and the two enjoy winter’s first snowfall.

Drosselmeyer returns to magically take Maria-Clara and her Nutcracker back in time to the Land of Sweets nightclub, where the couple witness the New Year’s Eve revelers showing off the dance styles of that time. It’s then that Maria-Clara realizes that she is witnessing the night when her parents first met and fell in love. She is overcome by their love, and when they return to present day, Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker – with a bit more magic – help her parents reconcile.

The story is brought to life not only through the performers’ incredible hip hop dancing and choreography, but also by their amazing acting ability. Through their gestures and facial expressions, the ensemble brought the audience along into the story.

For me, one of the evening’s highlights was the powerhouse violinist Marissa Licata, who introduces the familiar opening strains of The Nutcracker and then appears strategically throughout the performance to move the musical narrative forward. A star soloist, she has appeared with the likes of Alicia Keys, Ben Harper, Jethro Tull, H.E.R., Ringo Starr, and Gloria Estefan, to name a few.

The set design was minimal, but skillfully done with a huge video cast on the stage’s backdrop. We’re taken right into the street scene, walk into Drosselmeyer’s toy store, and then cast back into time appropriately via a time-traveling subway, all through the magic of video. At first, the scenes and costuming are all cast in shades of black and white with only Drosselmeyer’s magical touch in red. But when we go back in time, the past comes to life in a spray of colors.

The Hip Hop Nutcracker is only at the Cadillac Palace for a limited engagement through Dec. 17, but tickets are still available. For families and children of all ages, this is a wonderful introduction to The Nutcracker, and even for those well acquainted with this holiday tradition, The Hip Hop Nutcracker is an imaginative and exuberant retelling of this classic worth seeing.

As MC Blow told the audience, “I’m sure Mr. Tchaikovsky would enjoy this performance.” I quite agree. 

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