Sugar plum dreams return to the Lyric when The Joffrey Ballet’s "The Nutcracker " opens December 5 (through December 28). Each December, the Joffrey revisits this holiday staple with renewed wonder, but this season carries extra sparkle: the company is celebrating its 70th anniversary as a national dance force, and its 30th year based in Chicago.

This version of The Nutcracker is not a dusty retelling but a bold reinvention. Since 2016, the Joffrey has adopted the Christopher Wheeldon –commissioned reimagining, which re-sets the magical tale among the glitz and ambition of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, a fitting homage to the city that hosts it. From toy soldiers to twirling snowflakes, from Clara’s dreams to the final pas de deux in the Land of Sweets, every scene is steep

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