HOLIDAY BALLET MOVES TO MORRISTOWN

After 39 years at the Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey Ballet's Nutcracker will move to the Community Theatre at Mayo Center in Morristown, just in time to celebrate its milestone birthday. The troupe will present 10 performances from December 17 to 26, 2010.

The change was necessitated because Paper Mill agreed to co-produce the North American première of the 25th Anniversary edition of Les Miserables with Cameron Macintosh, whose original show opened in London in 1985 and ran on Broadway from 1987–2003. Because Macintosh would only agree to a November 19–December 19 run, with a possible week's extension, the Nutcracker had to find a new home. Paper Mill couldn't pass up the opportunity to premiere a national tour of Les Miserables, which will be the theater's second production of its 2010–2011 season.

The ballet's 10-day run at the Community Theatre sets a record for the Morristown venue, which as never had a single show run more than three days. The theater's 2007 renovation enabled it to host the Nutcracker, despite the show's massive sets and special effects. Paper Mill musicians will occupy the orchestra pit for the 10 Morristown performances; the theater's sets and equipment will enhance the production too.

Paper Mill's Nutcracker is the state's longest running professional production of the classic holiday ballet; it even survived the fire that destroyed the original Millburn theater while racking up more than 800 performances. It is a holiday tradition for generations of New Jerseyans and their families.

So if you want to see the 2010 edition of Nutcracker, mark your calendars for its Morristown venue now. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 13, at the Community Theatre and range from $19–$59.