[photo credit: Sierra Madre Playhouse]
Bob Baker’s Nutcracker concludes its six-week holiday residency at Sierra Madre Playhouse on Saturday, January 4, with three final performances offering families a last chance to experience the beloved marionette adaptation.
The closing day features shows at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, with children age two and under admitted free.
The production, created in 1969 by Los Angeles puppeteer Bob Baker, has been running since November 29 with 50 performances co-presented by Bob Baker Marionette Theater and Sierra Madre Playhouse. The show features more than 100 handcrafted marionettes performing Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet mixed with Baker’s whimsical creations including cupcakes, a blue dog and a rock band.
“We are thrilled to welcome back Bob Baker’s Nutcracker,” said Matt Cook, Artistic and Executive Director of Sierra Madre Playhouse. “The production transforms the historic venue into holiday central, drawing multi-generational families, couples on date nights, as well as those seeking a festive seasonal performance.”
This marks the second year the production has made the 99-seat theater its holiday home. Critics have praised it as “Christmas magic” and “a congregation of imagination.”
Reviewer Tam Warner of LA Dance Chronicle called the production “funny, charming, wistful and endearing this will be a show you will remember for a long time to come.”
The approximately one-hour show runs without intermission, featuring large-scale marionettes operated in full view of the audience.
Bob Baker’s “Nutcracker” will run on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. For more information, call (626) 355-4318 or visit https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/event/nutcracker2025. Ticket prices: $25; children two and under free.