# MeshugaNutcracker **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meshuganutcracker/804930 "2017-12-20T16:24:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Labor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Labor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labor)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meshuganutcracker/804930/1 "2017-12-20T16:24:29Z")
Mrs. Labor and I saw an advertisement for **MeshugeNutcracker!** in the local paper this weekend. The description is: _The MeshugaNutcracker! is a full-length musical comedy that features the wonderfully silly sensibilities of the folklore of Chelm (the fictional town of fools) underscored by an invigorating, Klezmer-ized orchestration of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite”, now with original lyrics that celebrate Chanukah._ So we bought tickets and went… Big mistake. It is a full length musical. However, there is very little “Klezmer-ization” of Tchaikovsky’s music, the tunes are there and the cast does sing along but there are not the fantastic clarinet solos I was hoping for. The purpose of this musical seems to be to educate non-practicing Jews about the reasons for Chanukah, or a place for Jewish grandparents to take the non-practicing grandchildren to learn about the basics. Not the mad-cap evening I was expecting. On the positive side, the actors are terrific, and the costumes are colorful.