New York City Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker

New York City Ballet's magical 1954 production of The Nutcracker, set to Tchaikovsky's gorgeous score, includes the full New York City Ballet company and dozens of School of American Ballet students, as well as an onstage blizzard and a Christmas tree that grows from 12 to 40 feet. In the end, however, George Balanchine's choreography is what holds it all together: It's enchanting, and the show has become an annual tradition for many NYC families. Live performance is out of the question this year, but NYCB is teaming up with the arts-oriented streaming platform Marquee TV to offer a full recording of the production, filmed at Lincoln Center last year. The cast includes Maria Kowroski as the Sugarplum Fairy, Tyler Angle as her Cavalier and Megan Fairchild as Dewdrop. Tickets cost $25 in the United States (the price may vary elsewhere) and includes a free month-long trial subscription to Marquee TV for viewers who are new to it.