Review: In its 10th year, Joffrey’s "Nutcracker" is in top form

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There is a meme circulating on the internet that says, “Be like the Kennedy Expressway and never stop working on yourself.” That stretch of Interstate 90 was under construction when I moved to the Chicago area in 1989. And it still is.

I thought about that while watching the opening night of the Joffrey Ballet’s “Nutcracker” this year. For many families, the ballet is an annual tradition and signals the official start of the holiday season. Kids, decked out in their holiday finest, ooh-ed and aah-ed, some processing down the Lyric Opera House’s red carpeted aisles to get a peek into the orchestra pit. I was that kid. In some ways, I still am. Holidays, commence!

“The Nutcracker” runs four weekends at the Lyric, closing on Dec. 28.

The theate