Parody: a humorous or satirical imitation
Satirical: biting wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose vice or folly
The Buttcracker: a performance playing out these qualities to the fullest extent
As the holiday season swirls through the December, television channels become flooded with classic Christmas stories like ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,’ ‘Miracle on 32nd Street, ‘Scrooged,’ or ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas.’ Movie theatres are cluttered with the latest blockbuster and on stage, actors and dancers recite the same timeless lines and steps performed for years.
Reno’s own Bruka Theatre has decided to contribute to the cheery season with a hysterical performance geared towards bringing out the fun side of holidays. The underground theatre ensemble is currently performing ‘Buttcracker’ a parody on the timeless ballet, Nutracker, done ‘in the spirit of ridiculous.’ This version, however, is not recommended for the ballet purists, says Bruka.
‘Buttcracker’ is a light comedy for the holidays, said Scott Beers, artistic director for the show. The play will be packed with chaos, wit, sexual innuendoes, and much more to make your abdomens sore and jaws tight from endless laughter.
‘We [the cast and crew of Buttcracker] all grew up with this weird ballet and thought it would be fun to collaborate and create a light comedy,’ Beers said. The production is a darkly dysfunctional drama that is frivolous and stupid, allowing stress to escape out the window, he said. The cast is made up of Bruka alumni and even though theatre always matters, ‘we thought we would do something fun to remind us of when we were young,’ Beers said.
The production moves through 20 renditions of the timeless classic, bringing audience members a variety of interpretations, in all classes of taste. ‘Buttcracker takes the traditional, then disintegrates into pretty much almost a bad high school drama…and becomes modernized as it goes on. There is no particular design to the show. It pretty much goes all over the place, making fun of ourselves within it,’ Beers said.
The play is performed on a small stage surrounded by 80 seats and equipped with a full bar. The intimate setting makes the audience feel like they are watching the kids act out their favorite holiday story in the living room, Beers said. ‘The intimacy heightens the shows. There is a full bar and this particular show has some sexual innuendo so the show is not great for small kids, but teenagers have been enjoying the show. But we still deal with each customer on an individual basis,’ Beers said.
All preset dates sold out, so Bruka decided to let the show go on for three more days. The remaining shows will be held at 8 p.m. on Dec. 14 to 16, 21to 23, and 28 to 30, with a matinee on Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. But alas, there’s no more tickets. The news came in just before press time – all performances of Buttcracker are sold out! Bruka is looking at re-mounting the show for next year.
For more information on this show and the various other shows Bruka creates, visit bruka.org.
