John Munger

By Caroline Palmer John Munger, the artistic director of Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble, is a true "Nutcracker" veteran. Over the past 38 years he has performed in over 200 productions of the traditional holiday ballet but now he's decided to dispense with all the sugar, spice and everything nice and explore the shadowy side of a central character, Drosselmeyer, the uncle, godfather, toymaker or magician (depending on the production) who brings the nutcracker to young Clara (sometimes known as Marie). Munger's "Nutbuster!! The Ballet" is a one-man show about who this mysterious man might become in his later years – and it's not a pretty sight. Munger's Drosselmeyer is an isolated old man rattling around in a sort of purgatory – a tiny apartment where he has a bottle of vodka, a couple of dolls, and a nutcracker (natch) to keep him company. He lives with a constant soundtrack in his head – various versions of Tchaikovsky's famous composition for the ballet – and he dances out his fantasies, sometimes with a drunkard's unsteady determination, at others with the peculiar confidence that can accompany madness. He harbors a lifetime's worth of anger and resentment, not to mention a host of pent-up issues about his relationship to Clara (always a disturbing subtext in "The Nutcracker"). In Drosselmeyer's twisted world she is both child and woman, a duality he simply cannot resolve. So this version of Drosselmeyer is someone who's down on his luck, an unsavory figure, a victim of his own insanity or a perpetrator of dark deeds. He's not an easy companion – for performer or audience member alike – and Munger still needs to delve deeper to uncover empathy for a man who may or may not deserve it. The outlines of the character are clear but the many shades of his persona still need to be filled in for greater contrast. Munger does apply his signature attention to detail for specific references to the "The Nutcracker," including comical twists on the Spanish, Chinese and Russian dances as well as the grand pas de deux (which ends on a violent note), and the Waltz of the Flowers. This is a holiday show after all, albeit one that dwells on the particular type of loneliness that seems to occur only during this time of year. Performances continue December 16 and 23 at 7 p.m. at the Bryant Lake Bowl, www.bryantlakebowl.com.