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AROUND TOWN: A tea party worthy of the Sugar Plum Fairy

By VICTORIA GRAY PALMER Special to The Packet
    At this time of the year, most children and parents have been thinking of Halloween, not Christmas. But, for me, I can think of only one event that I will make reservations for, and probably be one of the first to call and inquire about: “The Nutcracker Children’s Tea Party,” hosted by American Repertory Ballet. Usually, when I call in August, the administrators at ARB do not even have dates yet. And, in past years, McCarter Theater — where the tea and the ballet are presented — has even taken notes from me on when the teas will be given because I have called ARB so far in advance.
    Since my daughter was 4 years old, and my niece was 3, I have been going to this tea with these two sweeties and my mother and sister. This will be our fourth one. Each year, it seems that we — a grandmother, her two daughters, and her two granddaughters — have something to celebrate together. At first, it was being able to get out of the house for several hours while the fathers watched the babies at home. In other years, it was a celebration of my sister’s new job as a corporate pilot for a big casino in Atlantic City. This year, we will celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving time retirement of my mother, who has been a kindergarten teacher’s aide for a South Jersey school for 25 years.
    What the tea does for us is bring us together. We are already an extremely close family, but this setting brings out such joy in each of us, that we are all as jubilant as young children. And, although dressing in very formal attire is not required, it is my secret pleasure to find beautiful inexpensive dresses for the girls, who are now 7 and 6 years old. For one tea, I found the girls gold “sugarplum fairy” dresses, but for recent teas, I have gravitated towards red or “Santa”-style dresses. To my surprise, the latter even came with matching doll dresses.
    And, when the girls wore their red satin dresses last year, and brought their American Girl dolls in matching outfits, they met another little girl who was also in the same dress, and who had also brought her matching doll, too. What a lot the three of them had to talk about in line, waiting for hot chocolate and trays full of sweets. At another tea, my daughter and another little girl became instant friends as they spotted each other during the tea. Now, each year, they invite each other to their birthday parties.
    The setting for the tea is very important. Not only does it bring us together in a whimsical environment, but it brings out the best in everyone.
    The tea is hosted in the McCarter Theatre’s West Lobby. With the help of catering companies like Chez Alice, and the artistic wave of the administrative team’s fairy wand, the room becomes a glistening array of twinkling lights and clinking, white stoneware teacups. There are three-tiered trays of delightful miniature sandwiches, gourmet cookies (especially the darling “gingerbread man” cookies), colorful French petit-fours and pastries that I have watched disappear quickly into little hands.
    The children, who can only continue to gaze up at the mountainous sugar-covered displays, begrudgingly take their goodies and their hot chocolate “tea” to their individual tables. Seeing the children at each table trying politely to sip their tea, and then decide which sweet to eat first, is truly the real treat for the adults.
    If the setting is grand, then the actors must equal it. In this case, the “actors” are other young children who are some of the characters in the ballet. They actually come out and mingle with all of the tea patrons. A snowball, a peppermint candy, some bonbons, a tiny candy chef, some polichinelles, a few Chinese dancers, the young Marie, and more, come out to visit the guests at your table and, if desired, to pose for pictures with them. (It’s better than any Disney character breakfast!)
    I can only tell you that the glee is contagious. For the children to get to meet each character and to ask her questions about her theatre experience is truly remarkable. Not only does it give pride to the dancers to see the excitement that is being exhibited just for them, it gives the children new role models to look up to. And, for young children in the audience, it is so tickling to see the new dancer friends that they have just met at the tea, now up there on the stage.
    Two hours never go by so fast as when you see the delight and wonder on your children’s faces as they sit transfixed by the beauty of the ballet, and search for the children that they now know in the show.
    This year, as I spoke with Stephanie Evans, the development coordinator for ARB, she said that not only will the young dancers be meeting and greeting the children, there will be a new addition of a reading of the story of “The Nutcracker.” Other plans include fancier fare and décor to celebrate the ARB’s 45th Performance Anniversary of “The Nutcracker,” as choreographed by Graham Lustig.
    There will be only two “Nutcracker Children’s Tea Parties.” The dates are Sunday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m., and Sunday, Nov. 30, at 11 a.m. Both precede the ballet matinees of “The Nutcracker” that begin at 1 p.m.
    If you would like to go to the tea, you can e-mail Stephanie Evans at [email protected] or call her at 732-249-1254, ext. 25. (You will be sent an invitation with a response card that you can then mail back to her along with your payment.) The price for the tea is $30 for children 12 and younger, and $45 for adults. If you would like to see ARB’s “The Nutcracker,” you can purchase tickets through McCarter Theatre at 1-888-ARTSWEB. The ticket prices range from $32.50 to $42.50.
    To begin the holiday season, I hope you can experience this festive visual oasis with some important women in your life, since women do have a certain affinity for tea parties. Men would make wonderful companions, as well. (Given the choice, my sons and nephews were happier to play together at home and were overjoyed to have each been brought back a Nutcracker “soldier” hat.)
    As for me, I will be making my own reservations very soon. Just imagining the scene of the transformed lobby into a vision of marshmallow fluff is making me smile. I will be there with my two sweeties and my mother and sister. We will be the ones with the big smiles and the big sweet teeth!
American Repertory Ballet will stage Graham Lustig’s “The Nutcracker” at McCarter Theatre from Nov. 22 through 30, at Patriots Theater at the Trenton War Memorial on Dec. 13, and at The State Theatre, New Brunswick, on Dec. 20 and 21. For more information, visit www.arballet.org.