Natick Nutcrackers, Day 1: Walnut Hill

I started my resolution to see all the Nutcrackers in Natick. First night, Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Note: I am not going to review the performances. These local Nutcrackers are an opportunity for all the students to get on stage and for mom and dad and grandparents (and coaches) to see them perform.

Authenticity

Anyone who has seen the Nutcracker on TV should be familiar with the Walnut Hill's Nutcracker. It sticks to the script.
Score: 10/10

Staging & Costumes

This is the Walnut Hill stage, so they have the advantage of being on "home turf." It's a lovely theatre with nice backdrops, a nice screen and SNOW! The costumes were traditional and very pretty. The sound was excellent. The lighting was well done. One advantage of being in the gimpy-boy nose-bleed area is that you are almost directly in line with the speakers, so you get excellent sound.
Score: 10/10

Christmas Tree Growth

Of course, one of the big scenes is when the Christmas Tree grows tall. This was was well done, although due to the small stage, the tree didn't get outlandishly large. A bonus was when Herr Drosselmeyer clears the stage for the trip to The Land of Sweets by waving his cape and the tree flies up in the air, off the stage.
Score: 8/10

Lacrosse Bonus Points

Walnut Hill gets bonus points for having 2 of my former players from Natick Girls Lacrosse in the cast, and an extra 2 points for having them as Clara. Also 2 more bonus points for my seeing two of my former players in the audience.
Total Bonus points: +6

Final Comments

This is a fun Nutcracker. Very straightforward. If you're looking for something to match what you've seen on TV or Boston, and don't want to go into Boston, this is a good choice, if you can get tickets. They don't incorporate too many little kids since this isn't a ballet school that starts with pre-ballet classes and they don't have to march them on (as mice of soldiers) for parents and grandparents. They have some tiny soldiers that I guess must come from other schools.
Recommended.

Total Score

28/30, and 6 bonus lacrosse points for 34 points. This will be hard to beat!
(a note on scoring - don't take these numbers seriously. Everyone wants to rank things nowadays, but really now, points for lacrosse players? Points for the tree? Bonus points for 80's music?)