Getting Lost at 'The Lost Act'

Enjoying this irreverent take on a holiday classic requires an open mind

"Nutcracker: The Lost Act!" features dancing pimps, strip teases and a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humor.

Image credit: Courtesy Ritz Dolls

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If you’re looking for an irreverent take on a classic holiday story, Nutcracker: the Lost Act! will certainly fit the bill. If, however, you want a show with a strong plot you may have to keep looking.

Ballet of the Dolls and Le Cirque Rouge Burlesque – which teamed up this season for their latest take on the Nutcracker – certainly deliver an interesting take on what is purported to be a lost portion of the original 1891 production.

In their show, protagonist Clara is drawn into a crazy new world of burlesque cabaret in which a troupe of sexy men and women do their best to get her to join their ranks.

Valerie Torres-Comvalius, in the role of Clara, does an impressive job capturing her wide-eyed innocence as she’s pulled through each wild situation, but the show suffers from an erratic plot.

The scenes are disjointed and fail to build on one another, and the production bounces from whirling dance scenes to tribal music to a series of burlesque acts at a nightclub in the second half.

Audience members may scratch their heads over what it all means to the story at hand. And with good reason: as best as I can tell, Clara’s foray into a dangerous, glittering dream world is where the plot starts and ends.

Still, this bare-bones story can hypnotize, and the members of Ballet of the Dolls and Le Cirque Rouge are high-energy talented performers.

The show is also, in a word, unique. Dancing pimps? Check. An innuendo-filled take on the Christmas song “Suzy Snowflake?” Definitely. Strip tease from someone named Tomahawk Tassels? Of course. This production is so full of tongue-in-cheek humor, sass and pizzazz that its disjointed nature becomes part of the fun.

The music of this production also shines (and may just be its saving grace).

The ladies of Le Cirque Rouge, who have some of the greatest old-school jazzy voices in town, along with an eclectic, genre-crossing selection of music that took the band from hip hop to jazz to, yes, even kazoo, truly shine.

In the end, it’s that unabashed style that allows visitors to forget the plot and let Ballet of the Dolls and Le Cirque Rouge take you on a ride. If you let yourself go, it’s one you’ll not soon forget.

Ballet of the Dolls and Le Cirque Rouge’s Nutcracker: the Lost Act! runs through Dec. 31. For tickets and show times, visit ritzdolls.com.