The Nutcracker & the Mouse King

HI, I'M JOHN MAUCERI.

AND WELCOME TO "THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING."

I SUPPOSED EVERY ONE OF YOU KNOWS "THE NUTCRACKER" BALLET

AND ITS MAGNIFICENT SCORE, COMPLETED IN 1892

BY PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY.

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING I LEARNED OVER THE YEARS.

TCHAIKOVSKY REALLY DIDN'T LIKE IT,

AND I NEVER QUITE KNEW WHY.

IT TURNS OUT THAT THE STORY HE WAS GIVEN

WAS A VERY SIMPLIFIED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL BOOK

WRITTEN IN 1816 BY THE GERMAN WRITER E.T.A. HOFFMANN.

AND COME TO THINK OF IT,

THE STORY OF THE BALLET NEVER REALLY COMES

TO A SATISFACTORY END.

I MEAN, WHO WAS THE MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER

CALLED GODFATHER DROSSELMEYER?

AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT, HOW DID THAT YOUNG MAN

GET PUT INTO A NUTCRACKER IN THE FIRST PLACE?

THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS

CAN BE FOUND IN THE STORY TCHAIKOVSKY LOVED.

AND SO I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO THE SOURCE,

THE WONDERFUL HOFFMANN STORY,

AND CREATE A SCORE BY TCHAIKOVSKY

THAT PRESERVES THE MELODIES WE ALL LOVE,

BUT ALSO INCLUDES MUSIC FROM HIS MANY LESSER-KNOWN WORKS.

HOFFMANN'S NUTCRACKER STORY IS IN 3 PARTS.

THE FIRST TAKES PLACE WHEN ALL GREAT FAIRYTALES BEGIN...

THE MIDDLE AGES.

BUT IT'S AN ANTI-FAIRYTALE,

ONE THAT IS FUNNY AND FANTASTICAL,

BUT DEFINITELY DOES NOT END HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

ALL RIGHT, THEN, LET'S GO BACK A BIT IN TIME

TO DECEMBER 7, 2019,

AND GLASGOW'S ROYAL CONCERT HALL IN SCOTLAND,

THE LAND OF ANCIENT STANDING STONES,

WHERE THE NATIONAL ANIMAL IS THE UNICORN

AND THE ONE PLACE WHERE A DRAGON MIGHT STILL LURK

IN THE BLACK WATERS OF LOCH NESS.

THE ORCHESTRA HAS TUNED,

AND APPLAUSE GREETS THE ENTRANCE OF THE CONDUCTOR.

AND THERE HE IS.

LOOKS FAMILIAR.

AND KNOWING HIM AS I DO,

HE PROBABLY HAS SOMETHING TO SAY.

"THE NUTCRACKER."

I SUSPECT THAT THERE AREN'T MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE

WHO KNOW THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY.

WELL, HERE TO TELL THE GREAT EPIC STORY

WRITTEN BY E.T.A. HOFFMANN

WITH MUSIC COMPILED BY ME

OF THE MUSIC BY TCHAIKOVSKY,

INCLUDING ALL THE TUNES YOU LOVE FROM THE BALLET,

HERE TO TELL THAT STORY, THE REAL STORY,

THE COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE WELCOME ALAN CUMMING.

IF I MAY, I KNOW YOU'RE READY FOR THIS,

BUT I'VE KNOWN ALAN SINCE THE MID-1980s

WHEN I WAS MUSIC DIRECTOR OF SCOTTISH OPERA.

I WAS A CHILD.

HE WAS A CHILD.

HE WAS A WEE LAD.

AND WE BECAME FRIENDS IN THOSE YEARS,

AND THEN HE CAME TO NEW YORK

AND TOOK OVER THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WHEN HE PLAYED IN "CABARET."

AND THEN, IF I MAY,

WHEN I WAS DIRECTOR OF THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA,

I INVITED HIM TO MAKE HIS ORCHESTRAL DEBUT

ON THE WEEKEND IN WHICH WE PLAYED,

AND HE SANG TO 54,000 PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES.

THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO MAKE YOUR DEBUT.

ANYWAY, WHEN I GAVE HIM THIS SCRIPT,

HE SAID, "IT'S A HOOT."

SO WE'RE SO... I'M SO CHUFFED AS THEY SAY.

I'M SO PLEASED THAT ALAN WOULD PARTICIPATE

IN WHAT IS ACTUALLY THE WORLD PREMIERE

LAST NIGHT AND TONIGHT OF THIS NEW WORK.

SO NOW WE'LL PLAY IT FOR YOU.

ONCE A VERY LONG TIME AGO,

WHEN THE GREAT STORIES WERE FIRST BEING TOLD

AND WHEN THE FLAP OF DRAGON WINGS

COULD BE HEARD IN THE SKY

AND TROLLS PROWLED THE FORESTS,

RAINBOWS WERE SAID TO LEAD TO A KINGDOM BEYOND THE CLOUDS,

AND THERE WAS TALK OF AN ALL-POWERFUL SWORD,

OR PERHAPS IT WAS A RING.

SOME EVEN CLAIM TO UNDERSTAND THE LONG-FORGOTTEN LANGUAGE

OF THE ANIMALS.

AND EVERY DAY, JUST AS THE EARTH TURNED ITS FACE TO THE SUN,

AND THEN LIKE CLOCKWORK TURNED ITS BACK TO IT AT NIGHT,

THERE WAS MAGIC BOTH FOR GOOD AND FOR EVIL.

IT WAS THEN THAT MANKIND FIRST LEARNED

THAT THE STRONGEST POWER IN THE UNIVERSE

WAS ALSO THE SIMPLEST.

THIS IS WHERE WE BEGIN,

ON A PARTICULAR MORNING WHEN THE QUEEN WAS IN THE KITCHEN.

SHE DIDN'T GO THERE VERY OFTEN.

BUT THIS WAS A SPECIAL OCCASION... THE KING'S BIRTHDAY.

AND EVERY YEAR THE QUEEN MADE THE KING'S FAVORITE DISH,

SAUSAGE FROM A SECRET FAMILY RECIPE.

AS SHE WAS COOKING, THE SMELL OF BACON AND HERBS

FILLED THE VAST ROOM.

THAT'S WHEN SHE HEARD A VOICE SHE PREFERRED NOT TO RECOGNIZE.

"SISTER, GIVE ME SOME OF THAT!

"I SMELL THE FAMILY SECRET.

I AM, AFTER ALL, A QUEEN, TOO."

IT WAS QUEEN MOUSERINK WHO LIVED UNDERNEATH THE HEARTH

WHERE SHE RULED ANOTHER KINGDOM,

THE MOUSE KINGDOM.

THE QUEEN KNEW THIS VOICE WELL,

AND WANTING NO TROUBLE FROM HER HALF SISTER,

OBLIGED.

SUDDENLY, MOUSERINK'S FAMILY, INDEED THE ENTIRE MOUSE KINGDOM,

SEEMED TO ERUPT ALL AROUND HER,

GORGING THEMSELVES ON THE BACON.

WHEN THEY WERE FINALLY DONE,

THE QUEEN DID HER VERY BEST TO MAKE THE KING'S FAVORITE DISH

AND PRESENT IT TO HIM AT HIS BIRTHDAY FEAST.

UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE FIRST BITE OF SAUSAGE,

THE KING BECAME PALE AND PRACTICALLY FAINTED

FROM DISAPPOINTMENT.

"NOT ENOUGH BACON," HE BLUBBERED.

THE QUEEN EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED,

AND THE KING CALLED FOR THE COURT CLOCKMAKER AND WIZARD

CHRISTIAN ELIAS DROSSELMEYER.

THE KING DEMANDED RETRIBUTION,

AND SO THE WIZARD DROSSELMEYER INVENTED THE MOUSETRAP

AND LURED QUEEN MOUSERINK'S FAMILY AND MUCH OF HER KINGDOM

INTO THE TRAPS!

QUEEN MOUSERINK, IN A FURY,

APPEARED BEFORE THE QUEEN IN HER PRIVATE CHAMBERS.

HER RED EYES WERE GLOWING AND SHE HISSED.

"SISTER, TAKE CARE!

"YOU HAVE DESTROYED MY FAMILY,

"AND I WILL RETURN AND PAY A LITTLE VISIT

"TO YOUR FIRST BORN.

TAKE CARE."

AND AT THAT, SHE DISAPPEARED BENEATH THE HEARTH.

TIMED PASSED.

AND WITH THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING,

THE CASTLE WAS FULL OF JOY.

NOT ONLY HAD THE GRAY WINTER SKIES DEPARTED

AND THE LILACS AND WISTERIA WERE IN BLOOM,

BUT A YOUNG PRINCESS HAD BEEN BORN

TO THE KING AND QUEEN.

THEY BELIEVED PRINCESS PIRLIPAT

TO BE THE MOST PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL BABY

THEY HAD EVER SEEN.

PERFECT SKIN,

BRIGHT EYES,

CURLY HAIR,

AND, NOW THIS IS QUITE AMAZING,

TWO ROWS OF PERFECTLY FORMED TEETH.

AND WHILE THE KING WAS OVERJOYED,

ONE COULD NOT HELP BUT NOTICE

THAT THE QUEEN SEEMED TROUBLED.

AND YOU CERTAINLY CAN UNDERSTAND WHY.

SHE REMEMBERED HER HALF SISTER'S THREAT.

SHE POSTED SENTRIES AT THE DOORS TO THE BABY'S ROOM,

TWO LADIES IN WAITING NEXT TO THE CRADLE,

AND 6 NURSES IN ATTENDANCE.

AND NOT JUST 6 NURSES,

BUT 6 TOMCATS SITTING ON THE LAPS OF THE 6 NURSES.

SURELY ALL WOULD BE WELL.

ONE NIGHT, JUST AS THE CLOCK STRUCK 12,

THE 6 NURSES, THE TWO LADIES IN WAITING,

THE GUARDS, AND EVEN THE TOMCATS DISAPPEARED.

NO, THEY DIDN'T.

THEY WERE CAST INTO A DEEP SLEEP.

IN A FLASH, QUEEN MOUSERINK APPEARED

AND JUMPED INTO THE CRIB.

THE CRY OF PRINCESS PIRLIPAT AWAKENED THE ROOM.

"THANK GOODNESS SHE'S ALIVE," THEY ALL SAID,

AS QUEEN MOUSERINK LEAPT OUT OF THE CRADLE

AND DISAPPEARED INTO A CRACK IN THE FLOOR.

WHAT HAD BEEN RELIEF

TURNED INTO SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT

WHEN THE QUEEN AND THE COURT LOOKED INTO THE CRIB.

YES, PRINCESS PIRLIPAT WAS ALIVE,

BUT SOME TERRIBLE CURSE HAD BEEN PLACED ON HER.

AND INSTEAD OF BEING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY ANYONE HAD EVER SEEN,

SHE HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT.

SHE HAD AN ENORMOUS HEAD

WITH GREEN EYES AND A MOUTH

THAT STRETCHED FROM ONE SIDE OF HER FACE TO ANOTHER.

SHE ALSO HAD A LITTLE WHITE BEARD.