Opening night of The Joffrey Ballet’s “ The Nutcracker ” always feels like the start of something magical and this year’s event seemed even more exciting. I saw mothers and daughters dressed in identical festive outfits; there were evening gowns and men in suits and ties. The air of expectation was palpable even though Christopher Wheeldon’s production has been around since 2016.

We were excited to attend because, like many other fans, it’s become a tradition for us. We loved Robert Joffrey’s version and had steeled ourselves to not like the new one. But, as soon as we saw Wheeldon’s version, set in Chicago the winter before the Chicago World’s Fair, we were completely captivated.

On opening night, we expected to see the same dazzling performance we had seen and loved so many t

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