I'm looking forward to seeing The Hard Nut in class. After reading "Irony and Sincerity," I have high hopes for Mark Morris's production of the classic Nutcracker ballet. The reading addresses the meaning behind The Hard Nut and how Morris attempted to combine the classics with popular culture. Morris was an unconventional rebel artist, and I admire his thoughts and visions that put his play in motion. His beliefs and ideas about the "common human fate" are provocative.

I've seen the traditional version of The Nutcracker before many years ago on my 3rd grade class trip. The scene that I still clearly remember is the battle scene between the mice and toy soldiers. In The Hard Nut, the cute mice are said to be replaced by rats and G.I. Joes take the place of the toy soldiers. I am looking forward to seeing this in action. It's funny how the traditional characters are replaced by Morris' more modern take on the scene. I think it'll be really fun to see how a modern spin on a classic tale leads to a new interpretation. But again, we have to keep in mind that Morris isn't attempting to reinvent The Nutcracker ballet, but helping to underline the truths by "deconstructing" it, as critic Marcia Siegel decribes it. He keeps the classic moral about finding love in a crazy (sometimes) seemingly ugly world alive. Finding the hidden beauty in what appears hideous is the theme behind "Irony and Sincerity."

I can't wait to see it in class and experience for myself Morris's work!