“The Nutcracker” by the Kasatkina and Vasilyov Theatre: a thrilling new story. From November 3, 2026 to January 4, 2027, the State Academic Classical Ballet Theatre under the direction of Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov will present The Nutcracker on the stage of the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre. The stage regularly features leading dancers and guest soloists who have performed at the Bolshoi Theatre or trained in the same prestigious academies, bringing a high level of classical tradition and artistry to every performance.
This is the most captivating version among all ballet interpretations of Hoffmann’s tale. Here, the story takes center stage: Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov have transformed Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece into a performance that grips the audience from the very first scene and doesn’t let go until the final moment. As children, the future choreographers regretted that the classical Nutcracker lacked many important details from Hoffmann’s fascinating fairy tale and, most importantly, that its dance version did not include the signature humor of the German classic.
When working on the new production of The Nutcracker, Kasatkina and Vasilyov made the plot as dynamic as possible, populated it with characters from the original story as well as their own, and developed each personality in detail. Humor returned to the fairy tale — in all its Hoffmann-style grotesque charm. In short, this familiar story doesn’t let the audience get bored for a single moment: adults are surprised by the new plot twists, and children simply follow the adventures of their favorite characters. Immersion into Hoffmann’s world is ensured not least by the sets, costumes, and props: in Kasatkina and Vasilyov’s Nutcracker, the scenography is a special kind of theatrical magic. The offspring of Queen Mouserink with his seven heads invariably delights the youngest spectators.
But above all, the choreographers aimed — and succeeded brilliantly — to imbue the performance with love. And not only through the dramatic concept: here, more than one happy couple is shown. Kasatkina and Vasilyov’s version features brotherly and sisterly love, parental love, the devotion of a mentor to their students — and even Queen Mouserink loves her awkward little son! Marie is surrounded by love; she lives and grows in its atmosphere. This is what makes the fairy-tale world closer to the real one — the way it should ideally be. A performance with such a message, of course, cannot end with Marie simply waking up. Whom will she meet in the living room after her wondrous dream? Come and see.