The “Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker” from Jazz St Louis and St. Louis Dance Theatre will take audiences into the lives of Duke Ellington and composer Billy Strayhorn.
Running Dec. 20-21, the show follows the two legendary musicians during a visit to St. Louis and an encounter with Josephine Baker. For choreographer and St. Louis Dance Theatre director Kirven Douthit-Boyd, combining the holiday classic with a story set in 1960s Gaslight Square represents “a love letter” to the composer Billy Strayhorn, who alongside Ellington produced the 1960 album “The Nutcracker Suite” that put a jazz spin on Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet.
“Strayhorn was an incredible genius of a musician and also a member of the LGBTQ community in the 1950s, at a time when most folks tried to hide,” Douthit-Boyd said on St. Louis on the Air.
“As I learned more and more about him, I was thinking about this narrative. And in conversation with [Jazz St. Louis CEO Victor Goines], he talked about Billy's dreams. I thought, ‘What would be Billy's dream in 2024?’ — and it would be to see a queer love story take place onstage.”
Related event:
What: Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker
When: Dec. 20-21
Where: Skip Viragh Performing Arts Center (425 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131)
To hear more from Douthit-Boyd about choreographing the show, and insights into the music of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington from Jazz St. Louis CEO Victor Goines, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
