The Pelham Picture House hosted their annual Nutcracker Magical Matinee on Sunday, a festive tradition designed for audiences to witness the iconic story of “The  Nutcracker” come to life for a reasonable price.

The story of the Nutcracker begins with little Marie receiving a gift from her godfather, Drosselmeyer, on Christmas Day. This gift, a toy Nutcracker, is then broken by her brother. When she goes to sleep, Drosselmeyer fixes the Nutcracker for her. She is then transported into a world where the Nutcracker is alive and must protect her from an evil mouse king. Following this, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her citizens prepare a feast and dance to honor Marie and the Nutcracker for their defeat of the mouse king.

The the event began with performers from Ballet Arts dancing elegantly to music from The Nutcracker, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The performers consisted of Pelham children ranging from elementary to high school, and Gabriela Vasquez dancing various excerpts of the show as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The latter part of the event consisted of a viewing of “The Nutcracker”, a movie that creates an authentic experience of the Nutcracker on the big screen. The film is a recording of the New York City Ballet’s version of the story, choreography that can be seen in Lincoln Center’s annual showing of “The Nutcracker.” The movie, narrated by Kevin Kline, includes dancers such as Jessica Lynne Cohen as Marie, Darci Kistler as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Damian Woetzel as the Fairy’s Cavalier, and even Macaulay Culkin as the Nutcracker Prince.

Be sure to mark this event on the calendar for next year, and check out other events at the Pelham Picture House here.