ANSWERS

1) D. Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The two-act production was the last of the Russian composer’s three ballets and premiered in December 1892 in St Petersburg. Its story is based on Nussknacker und Mausekonig (The Nutcracker And The Mouse King), by German writer E. T. A. Hoffmann, whose tale tells of a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life.

2) C. It was produced by what is now known as The Royal Ballet in 1934.

B. The first U.S. performance (by the San Francisco Ballet) came in 1944, choreographed by Willam Christensen.

A. Tom And Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale was released in 2007.

3) True. Tchaikovsky said in a letter to a friend: ‘In spite of all the sumptuousness, it did turn out to be rather boring.’ He felt it was ‘infinitely worse’ than his previous ballet, The Sleeping Beauty.

4) B. Mushrooms. Among music by Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and Stravinsky, Walt Disney chose to include The Nutcracker in Fantasia. In the ‘Chinese Dance’ section, a group of fungi are magically animated. Walt Disney’s nephew, Roy, said: ‘We sold a million little salt and pepper shakers in the shape of those mushrooms.’ 5) A. The oldest male ballet dancer. American Frank Russell Galey broke the record, aged 74 years and 101 days, in The Nutcracker with the Mendocino Ballet in California in December 2006.

6) False. It starts at a Christmas party. The nutcracker comes to life on Christmas Eve.

THE Nutcracker runs at the Royal Opera House from December 5 to January 10.