'The Nutcracker' at The Hanover Theatre takes a magical journey of 15 years

The upcoming performances of "The Nutcracker" at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts Nov. 24 to 26 will mark 15 years that the ballet has been staged there since the renovated theater opened in 2008.

"Year number 15. This should be a celebratory year," said Jennifer Agbay,  director of dance at the The Hanover Theatre Conservatory who has been the artistic director of Worcester's home-grown "The Nutcracker" for all of the the theater's productions.

This also means that  Lexi Bancroft of Lunenburg, 14, this year's Clara in "The Nutcracker," hadn't been born when the first Clara took the stage at The Hanover Theatre.

But Lexi, who attends Lunenburg Middle School and is a ballet student at The Hanover Theatre Conservatory, said she has had her eye on the prized role for some time.

"Yes, since I was little," she said.

A new Clara

In "The Nutcracker," Clara is a young girl given a Christmas present of a toy soldier nutcracker during a Christmas party at her home that magically gets transformed into a prince who takes her on a fantastic journey through the Snow Forest and on into the Land of Sweets where a special performance is put on for them.

The ballet, adapted from an E.T.A. Hoffmann story, matches beautiful dancing with a wonderfully evocative and often haunting score by Tchaikovsky. It was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892.

The Hanover Theatre production includes a total cast of more than 150 dancers ranging from children to adult professionals, an orchestra, scenery created by Broadway designers, and vibrant costumes.

Clara is a coveted part to land for young dancers. In the The Hanover Theatre's previous productions of "The Nutcracker" Clara has been portrayed by dancers ranging in age from 11 to 16.

Lexi's duties as Clara have also included being the host off stage at the recent "Cookies & Tea with Clara" event in the McDonough Room at The Hanover Theatre where she read the story of "The Nutcracker" to children at the tea party.

Lexi has danced in The Hanover Theatre's "The Nutcracker" before with roles including Small Party Girl and Small Angel.

When she found out she was Clara, "I was very excited. I was at home and my mom called me over to the computer and she showed me (the posted cast list)," she said.

Agbay said "Lexi has the perfect charm that we need for the role of Clara. She also has a sophistication in the way she dances and the way she can go from little girl Clara to a proficient ballerina."

Lexi's audition for roles in "The Nutcracker" this year included learning the choreography for the "Divertissement" put on in honor of Clara and her soldier when they get to the Land of Sweets.

That caught Agbay's eye. "Once we saw how she could handle those roles then we knew she could handle the role of Clara," Agbay said. The decision to cast her was made.

Lexi, who has two brothers that don't study dance, said she likes "The Nutcracker" ballet and that it puts her in the holiday spirit. The Hanover Theatre production always begins the day after Thanksgiving.

"I think it's very charming," Lexi said. Clara is "a small girl who's very pretty. She starts to believe in magic."

'It's beautiful show'

There may be some magic in store with her own dancing. Lexi said she started dancing when she was two, and has taken lessons in several styles of dance before concentrating on ballet just over a year ago. "I would like to become a professional (dancer)," she said.

Does Agbay see a path for Lexi in that direction?

"I think Lexi can have a future as a professional dancer," Agbay said. "She's familiar with other disciplines (such as modern dance and jazz). You need to have these disciplines under your belt."

Agbay danced in performances of "The Nutcracker" with the Boston Ballet and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

"The Nutcracker" didn't become a holiday tradition in this country until the 1950s, but after that productions of the ballet by such companies as the Boston Ballet were a tradition for decades at the now-disused Worcester Memorial Auditorium.

Meanwhile, Dance Prism, based in the Boston area, has been coming to Mechanics Hall with its touring production of “The Nutcracker” since 1982, 2020 excepted. It will present the ballet there this year at 1 and 5 p.m. Dec. 10.

Agbay first directed “The Nutcracker” when she was with the former Performing Arts School of Worcester, and later oversaw her own Ballet Arts Worcester company’s productions of the ballet staged at Atwood Hall at Clark University and then in partnership with The Hanover Theatre since 2008. The  production of “The Nutcracker” at The Hanover Theatre this year will officially be the sixth staged by the Hanover Theatre Conservatory since Ballet Arts Worcester merged with the conservatory.

This year's auditions saw 185 local dancers try out, of whom 150 will make for "a pretty big cast," Agbay said. Professional dancers from the Philadelphia Ballet will take adult roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Sugar Plum Cavalier, Snow Queen and the Snow King. Worcester residents performing include: Chanelle Sabourin, Jackson Gardner, Keria Dailey, McKenzy Rogers, Quinn McDowell, Arianna Cousineau, Catarina Sabourin, Claire Reid- Erickson, Sarafina Bennes, Abigail Freeman, Sarah Newhall, Kelsey Hampton, Veronica Maher, Evan Underkofler, Casey Reid, Olivia Aucoin, Dayana Gonzalez, Jillian Bukoski, Molly McCormick, Mikel Roth, Oliana Prado Gleckel, Madison Knight, Avery Deorsey, Juliana Ortiz, Elena Perez, Alison Comeau, Alyssa Shotsberger, Sophia Shliapa and Madison Browne.

The Hanover Theatre Orchestra, specially constituted for the production, will be conducted by Eric Culver for the fifth year.

"It's beautiful show. In the 15 years we've been here the show has grown immensely. It's improved every year," Agbay said.

In 2020 the show did go on during the pandemic, but was filmed in-house. In 2021 "The Nutcracker" returned to being a live, in-person production.

The dancers have been rehearsing for this year's production for about 12 weeks — every Saturday, and Saturdays and Sundays for those with major roles. The schedule is sure to increase in the days leading up to the performances.

Lexi acknowledged that she may feel some nervousness prior to the opening. "It's gonna be different but exciting," she said.

Agbay can relate as a former performer and now a director. "For years, every year it doesn't matter, I still get the pre-performance jitters I used to get when I was dancing," she said.

"I want the cast to do a wonderful job. I want everyone's hard work to really stand out, and when they exhale that exhale will be the most rewarding exhale they'll ever have."

'The Nutcracker'

When: 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 24 and 25; 1 p.m. Nov. 26

Where: The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester

How much: $39, $49 and $59 depending on seat location. (877) 571-7469; thehanovertheatre.org

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: The Hanover Theatre stages 15th annual production of The Nutcracker