‘Sugar Hill’: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker, comes to Chicago!

Tuesday December 19th thru Saturday December 30th, SUGAR HILL, an exhilarating story told in dance, is set to the music of the genre-defying collaboration between jazz icons Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn in a captivating way that has never been done before. SUGAR HILL reveals the glamour of the 1930s as seen through the lens of the nonconformist daughter of a high-society Black family in Manhattan and her fantastic dream world in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem. A jazz-steeped reimagining of the classic tale, this Nutcracker sends a stirring message that champions individuality and the journey to find the power of your unique self: “Go find what makes you different to find your magic”. With a Libretto/Concept by Jessica Swan, this original production features Direction/Choreography by Emmy Award Winner Joshua Bergasse, with Co-Choreography by Jade Hale-Christofi. Additional Choreography/Dance Consultation by Caleb Teicher, Jon Boogz, and Graciela Daniele (Tony Award). Orchestrations/Arrangements by John Clayton (GRAMMY® Award) and Larry Blank (three-time Tony Award Nominee).

The Auditorium Theatre has a past that follows the path of Chicago’s history, from the Great Chicago Fire and World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 to the great rock and roll era of the 1960s and 1970s to the present. From opera to hip-hop, from political conventions to sporting events, the Auditorium Theatre has played a role in the lives of Chicago citizens for 130 years. For tickets or more information about this event, go to auditoriumtheatre.org