Bob Baker’s Nutcracker, Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s (BBMT) delightful and spellbinding 1969 marionette adaptation of the beloved ballet classic, makes its highly anticipated Sierra Madre Playhouse debut this holiday with 50 performances running from November 30, 2024, through January 5, 2025. A perennial and beloved yuletide tradition for Angelenos of all ages, Bob Baker’s Nutcracker has been carefully renovated for this special 2024 presentation at the Playhouse.

The show features more than 100 handcrafted puppets, including Clara and Fred, the Nutcracker, the Rat King, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, alongside a number of other Bob Baker playful creations. NBC4 proclaims it “a panache-filled fantasia full of marionette-y merriment.”

Bob’s original Nutcracker show, created in 1969, was performed with hand-and-rod puppets, but over the years, BBMT’s talented team of artisans and craftspeople transformed the adaptation of the ballet into a fanciful dreamscape with large-scale marionettes and intricate sets.