MARK KENNEDY, AP Drama Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — A very adult take on Tchaikovsky’s famous Christmas ballet “The Nutcracker” has won the 2014 Goldstar National Nutcracker Award.
The ticket discounter on Tuesday declared the bawdy “A Bur-Less-Q Nutcracker” by MBS Productions the winner of the 8th annual contest that crowns the best version of “The Nutcracker” in the land. Playing at Stone Cottage Theatre in Addison, Texas, “A Bur-Less-Q Nutcracker” beat out nearly 70 other productions.
Written and directed by Mark-Brian Sonna, “A Bur-Less-Q Nutcracker” centers on the staid Beulaville Baptist Book Club hoping to host a fundraising production of the famous ballet. The club hires ballet dancers but all fall ill from a bad batch of casserole, so the club seeks the help of a traveling burlesque group: The Velvet Kittens.
The show’s website calls the performances “somewhat interactive.” Tipping dancers during the show is encouraged, although it “can be offensive to some people.” And patrons are not permitted to touch the performers — “They are dancers, not strippers,” it warns.
“For our small company to be nominated amongst some world class dance companies has been thrilling,” Sonna said in a statement. “Words cannot adequately express my excitement to receive such a momentous honor.”
Voting for the Goldstar National Nutcracker Award is determined by Goldstar members who rate and review “The Nutcracker” productions they recently attended. Previous winners include the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, the Joffrey Ballet and Boston Ballet.
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