Graham Lustig's The Nutcracker Oakland Theatre reviews
The Color Purple was a little disappointing to us.
After years of hearing about this play, we were finally able to see it. Timing never seemed right due to being in the military. The time and money were right, so we were excited to see Graham Lustig's The Nutcracker. Last night, we saw the play and were somewhat disappointed. I'm honestly very happy that we didn't plan a trip to New York City centered around this play, with no intentions of being critical. The solo singing could have been better, but it was not bad. The issue lies in the abundance of singing in this play. If someone doesn't sing well, listening to them sing all night long can be a challenge. The visual effects and scene transitions were exceptional, creating a seamless illusion of characters moving from one location to another, among the best I've seen in a play. The actress who portrayed Mister and Sophia delivered outstanding performances.