You can’t have a holiday without the Nutcracker. Indeed, while many traditional Nutcracker ballets are presented every year, the Ballet Vero Beach has a special turn on it, “Nutcracker on the Indian River.” In this production, audiences aren’t transported to a time long ago in a country far away. Instead, as choreographed by Ballet Vero Beach artistic director Adam Schnell, the story takes place in 1919, the year Vero Beach was founded. The storyline follows young New Yorker Marie, who goes from her swanky Park Avenue home to the shores of the Indian River Lagoon. Her journey ramps up in Grand Central Station where a battle rages between Fritz’s Toy Soldiers and the Mouse King and his subjects. The Nutcracker then takes her to Vero where she is entertained by local flora and fauna. There are land crabs, manatees, bougainvillea and more. “It has been a wonderful challenge this year to integrate our newly expanded BVB company into the production,” Schnell says. “New dancers (and) our spectacular new Grand Central Station set and updated special effects and battle scenes make this year’s iteration a can’t miss.” One of those new dancers is United Kingdom ballerina Ellie Hennequin, who will be dancing the roles of Mrs. Stahlbaum, the Snow Queen and the Sandhill Crane. “I think that Marie’s journey to Florida and meeting all the different Floridian animals in the second act really makes this production so unique,” Hennequin says. “I’ve never seen it before. The costumes are also amazing.” Ballet Vero Beach performs “Nutcracker on the Indian River” at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 to $75. There will also be a special “Nutcracker for All” performance of the ballet at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29. That special family friendly performance is shorter and less intense in order to accommodate audiences which are very young or differently abled. Tickets for that are $10. The Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center is at 1707 16th St. Call 772-269-1065 or visit BalletVeroBeach.org.
Riverside Theatre starts the new year with the blockbuster show “Jersey Boys,” which runs Jan. 2 to Jan. 28 on the Stark Stage. “Jersey Boys” has won many awards, from Grammy to Tony to Olivier. The musical follows the thrilling story of how four blue-collar kids became the Four Seasons, one of the best-selling recording groups in the mid-1960s. The group, led by Frankie Valli and his falsetto voice so recognizable in the 1962 song “Sherry,” had more than 25 hits in just a five-year period. The musical is filled with iconic songs including “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Walk Like a Man,” and many more. The musical, which premiered in 2004 at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, Calif., moved to Broadway in 2005, where it remained until 2017. It has been a favorite of professional touring companies and professional theaters, like Riverside. The show performs at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Wednesdays, select Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $45. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. Call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com. And by the way, if you were considering Riverside Theatre’s Comedy Zone this weekend, you’ll have to wait. The series is on hiatus with new shows arriving in April.
The McKee Botanical Garden Festival of Lights runs through Saturday, Dec. 30. So, if you’ve been planning on going, the time is now. This is the event that invites you to pretend that you’ve stepped into a magical wintry wonderland right here in Florida. It puts everything at McKee Botanical Garden into dazzling display thanks to thousands of lights, festive decorations, snow flurries and more. There’s even a large-scale model train on display, some outdoor holiday movies to enjoy, music and holiday delectables. In order to accommodate Festival of Lights visitors, the Garden closes at 5 p.m. then re-opens at 6 p.m. for the Festival of Lights. Admission to the Festival of Lights is $15 general; $13 for seniors 65 years and older and for teenagers 13 to 17 years; $10 for children 2 to 12 years; and free to McKee members and children under 2. Off-site parking is available at 146 Vista Royal Blvd. Complimentary shuttles will get you back and forth from the parking lot to the Gardens. McKee Botanical Garden is at 350 U.S. 1, Vero Beach. Call 772-794-0601 or visit
McKeeGarden.org.