The Nutcracker!

Scott took me to the Nutcracker last night! Yaay! We saw the Washington Ballet down at the Warner Theater – a cool, ornate, not-too-big theater filled with little girls and Walter Reed patients and their families. We had terrific seats – right at the front of the balcony. The fun part of the production was the amount of local flavor they put in. The first act was set in 1882 Georgetown, and Frederick Douglass was one of the guests. One of the dolls was an Anacostia Indian, and the other two were decked out in red, white and blue. The boys all got cowboys-and-indians toys from Uncle Drosselmeyer. All of this was, of course, reflected in the second act. Frontiersmen and girls instead of Russians, and Anacostia Indians instead of Arabians. Mother Ginger was Mary Barnum (of circus fame) who came out on top of a carousel full of clowns. Waltz of the Flowers became Waltz of the Cherry Blossoms, and in fact most of the stage was seen under arching boughs of cherry blossoms. Nice dancing, so-so music, a thoroughly enjoyable performance overall!

We emerged to discover a few snow flurries and a gusty, biting wind – one that threatened our balance as we were biking – so we treated ourselves to a nice warm bus ride home.

Today is still cold – my eyes were watering and my fingers were burning almost as soon as I left the house this morning. No. Fun. But at least it’s not raining!