© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Behind the Scenes in the Costume Shop of The Nutcracker

Matthew Powell and Breanne Starke as the Mechanical Dolls in Todd Bolender's The Nutcracker.
Photo: Steve Wilson (courtesy of Kansas City Ballet)
Matthew Powell and Breanne Starke as the Mechanical Dolls in Todd Bolender's The Nutcracker.

Richard Nixon was president when the Kansas City Ballet premiered its production of The Nutcracker, set to the music of Tchaikovsky. For thirty-six years running, audiences have been so swept up in the music and the movement that other crucial elements of the piece tend to get overlooked, and what would The Nutcracker be without its extravagant costumes?

By Steve Walker

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-803497.mp3

Kansas City, MO – KCUR's Steve Walker recently attended a costume fitting and found that the show's wardrobe requires the intricate attention of a nuclear submarine.

Kansas City Ballet's The Nutcracker
December 6-28, 2008
Music Hall

Download recent arts stories or subscribe to the KCUR Arts Podcast

Since 1998, Steve Walker has contributed stories and interviews about theater, visual arts, and music as an arts reporter at KCUR. He's also one of Up to Date's regular trio of critics who discuss the latest in art, independent and documentary films playing on area screens.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.