Princely Duties at “The Nutcracker”

In addition to being a holiday entertainment, “The Nutcracker” is, of course, a ballet about children facing down (and conquering) grownup fears. It is, after all, the tale of two children who save the world, at least the world inside Marie’s head. This is particularly true of George Balanchine’s version for New York City Ballet, in which the children are played by actual children.