Steadstyle Chicago
	November 2009 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas as every theater in the area prepares to do something for the holidays, well almost every.  While many of the theaters are doing their own productions of the same shows others are doing, Emerald City Theatre, a troupe dedicated to inspiring early learning through plays is presenting a marvelous re-imagining of "A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas".  Written by Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills, this is a 65 minute, imaginative look at an old tale.  In fact, a brand new book was released recently based on this musical and is available at the Apollo Theatre, home of Emerald City.  The story follows Fritz, who would rather play his video games than spend time with his family watching his sister dance in the Nutcracker Ballet.  He is in fact, a brat, a sort of Natural Brat and when his family leaves him alone with a neighbor he dozes off (or does he?) and has the adventure of his life chasing down the dastardly Mouse King with a nutcracker and keeping him from ruining Christmas. The story is very well told and the music by Covert and script by Mills surely hit the spot with the young audience.  My grandson Adam was enthralled by the story.  Being a big fan of "Ralph's World," he found the music fun and in many ways like the songs he knew from this.  He loved the puppets designed by Sarah Bendix this show and thought the boy, Fritz was good at video games, but didn't listen to him parents.  This is a part of the moral being taught.  Adam had no favorite part but he did think the mouse guy was cool.  The Mouse King was played by Shea Coffman, who plays evil with great flair. Director/Choreographer Ernie Nolan used the small stage of the Apollo to the best advantage making sure that all three sides of audience were able to see the actors.  Katie Schweiger's set is simple, but once again this is a kids show and they don't really care about spectacle.  The action and music is far more important.  Troy Baughman has just the right touch as Fritz, the brat who learns right from wrong during his visit to Christmas Wood.  And the other cast members, Patrick Byrnes, Julia P Gordon, Lara Mainer, Daniel Riley and Melissa Harrison as the Nutcracker were all terrific and energetic, which is really important in keeping three to seven year olds interested.  They do this to perfection. I for one am entranced by the music of Covert.  For many years, Adam had us dancing around the room with his music and I found myself humming and singing some of the music from this show hours later.  "Don't Say Impossible" is truly a message song and Adam said it told him that if you want to do something, you must not give up without trying.  What a wonderful thought to convey to a four and a half year old.  Live theater is a great experience and the Emerald City people are helping to get our youth on the road to this marvelous experience which will make them theater-goers for the future.  Have a marvelous experience.  I know that Adam and I did. "Nutty" will continue through January 2, 2010 at The Apollo Theatre.  Performances are Saturdays at 10:30 am and 1 p.m. (11/21 and 12/26 only 1 p.m.), Sundays at 1 p.m., Fridays at 10:15 am (thru 12/18), no performance on 11/27, selected Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays at 10:15 and 10: 30 a.m.  To get specific times and order tickets call  773-935-6100 or visit www.emeraldcitytheatre.com.  Tickets are $15 adults and $12 for kids and the actors will stick around for autographs after each performance.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.