Culture City

Wrap a New Present In Fables of the Past

Updated Dec. 9, 2012 9:11 p.m. ET

It's hard to argue with Christmas traditions. But if you've lost count of how many times you've seen "The Nutcracker" over the years, then you probably understand why the late British dance critic Richard Buckle once quipped that every year, we're just "one 'Nutcracker' closer to death."

That's why dance companies are virtually obsessed with thinking of new ways to update the 19th-century classic, setting it in different cities, eras, and with less-than-perfect families. The theater world, too, does...