The 'Nut' Tracker - Find the Sugarplum That Suits You Best

By LEIGH WITCHEL

PARTY dresses and Mary Janes, dancing Sugarplums and Candy Canes. "The Nutcracker," the beloved ballet set to Tchaikovsky, is a holiday rite of passage for kids all over the city, and often the first ballet they see. And if ticket prices can make parents feel as if they were mugged by the Mouse King, the look on their kids' faces as they watch that Christmas tree grow makes it worthwhile. But there's more than one way to crack a nut. New York has a "Nutcracker" to suit every whim and wallet. Read on, and find the one that's right for you. CLASSIC NUTS If you're looking for the quintessential "Nutcracker," New York City Ballet is the place for dancing snowflakes, flowers and the Sugarplum Fairy. George Balanchine's production is in its 55th year and includes sections he recalled from his student years in Russia a century ago. Much of the magic is still done the oldfashioned way: Stagehands haul up the 1- ton Christmas tree as it rises, and a bed that seems to glide on its own actually has a young man underneath, moving it. Through Jan. 3, $20 to $215, Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater; 212-870-5570. HOT NUTS Sex 'n' drugs 'n' . . . Tchaikovsky? "Nutcracker: Rated R" is definitely not for the kiddies. In Angela Harriell's version, Clara is a rebellious teen taken back in time by her Uncle Drosselmeyer to the underground club scene in the '80s.Dec. 17-31, $15-$20, Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave.; 866-811-4111. RUSSIAN NUTS The Russians are coming! Or, to be specific, the 50- member Moscow Classical Ballet.Originally directed by Igor Moiseyev, it's been around more than 40 years and toured more than 30 countries before coming to The Bronx. Tomorrow; $25 to $35 for adults, $10 for kids 12 and under. The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Park Blvd.; 718-960-8833. ALLERGIC TO NUTS? "Nut/Cracked" may cure you. David Parker's downtown dance version mixes Glenn Miller, toe tap, bubble wrap and a man balancing on pointe while eating a single, long Chinese noodle.Dec. 13-20, $20 to $25, Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19th St.; 212-924-0077. NEW YORK NUTS Now that you've survived Black Friday, you can watch it danced as yet another "Nutcracker." The one called "The Knickerbocker Suite" turns the traditional snow scene into a blizzard of shoppers.Dec. 5 and 6, $25, Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, 248 W. 60th St.; 212-787-1178. "The Yorkville Nutcracker" sets "The Nutcracker" in a Gilded Age New York that's prerentcontrol, though not premouse.Dec. 10-13, $45 to $90, The Kaye Playhouse, 695 Park Ave.; 212-772-4448. NUTS IN EVERY BURROW Make that "borough." Staten Island gets into the act with a traditional "Nutcracker" danced by the Staten Island Ballet. Dec.18- 20, $37 to $47, the College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Blvd.; 718-980-0500. CHEAP NUTS Ballet doesn't have to break the bank. "The Colonial Nutcracker," part of the Target Family Fun series, has tickets for just $6. This version, by Dance Theater in Westchester, sets the story during the Revolutionary War. Dec. 13, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn College campus (2900 Campus Road, at Hillel Place); 718-9514500. MIXED NUTS Neville Dance Theater goes global, adding flamenco, Filipino and Chinese folk dance to the original dances. Not only that, but the toymaker, Drosselmeyer, has turned into a diplomat - and the Nutcracker is now a police chief. Dec. 3-5, $20 to $30, Hudson Guild Theater, 441 W. 26th St.; 212-868-4444. KOSHER NUTS There's not a lot of dance in "The Klezmer Nutcracker," but there's plenty of Yiddishkeit.Ellen Kushner's play, set to music by the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra, tells the story of Sara and her adventures with the Golden Dreydl. Dec. 5 to Jan.3, $25, Vital Theatre Company, 2162 Broadway, at 76th Street; 212-579-0528. QUICK NUTS These two child-friendly productions will get you in and out in about an hour. On the East Side, New York Theatre Ballet's version (above) celebrates its 25th anniversary. Dec. 12-20, $31 to $36, Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St.; 212- 307-4100. Over in Queens, Ballet for Young Audiences (left) dances its traditional but abbreviated version Dec. 29 and 30. $12, Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park; 718-760-0064.

Originally published by LEIGH WITCHEL.

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