A club remix of the Nutcracker theme that melts, like chocolate candy on the tongue, into a sultry live rendition of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”? That’s entertainment, baby. My love told me that I’m falling asleep during performances recently. One show last week she clocked me falling asleep 12 times in one hour. So from now on I’ll be rating productions by “Nods” or how many times I “Nod Off”.  Let us begin.

It’s the first of many holiday gifts Company XIV offers up in Nutcracker Rouge, the Brooklyn burlesque troupe’s flagship show now in its 13th year. A loose adaptation of the classic Nutcracker ballet, this version unfolds as something of an erotic circus (a fantastic alternative for adults who’ve already seen the ballet many times over). Walking into this theater was like taking a trip back in time to a 1930s Cabaret. Go to Lincoln Center with the family and you can see the Big Apple Circus and The Balanchines Nutcracker 50 feet away, but go to Company XIV and get the thrills of both at once — with some extra naughtiness to sweeten the deal.

This rendition is in three acts. Provided for the patrons was three half hours of acrobatics, dancing bananas and some of the best singing one could see in a lifetime. Yup. Dancing Bananas. Unforgettable.

Nutcracker Rouge zips straight to the part where the Land of Sweets comes alive in young Marie-Claire’s dreams. Except this Marie-Claire is slightly older, and her dream is just as spicy as it is sugary. Drosselmeyer, traditionally a magical old godfather, is now a seductive emcee presiding over a living candy cart of irresistible wares. Turkish delights, cotton candy, and candy canes come alive to indulge Marie-Claire; so do champagne and absinthe.

Absinthe (Uys du Buisson) manifests as an utterly hypnotic and fluid-as-liquid hoop routine. Completely and utterly mesmerizing. As if I was being hypnotized. A flurry of gingerbread people delight with a playful slapstick act. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince captivate with a tender-to-mischievous-to-ferocious pas de deux, and Turkish Delight (TJ) ends an impressive contortionist routine in a handstand, tantalizingly hovering over Marie-Claire as if to say, “Eat me up.”

It’s impossible not to eat up the craft and strength on display for Nutcracker Rouge’s two hours. Nevermind that striptease is part of all the acts; you wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off the cast’s flawless execution of Company XIV founder Austin McCormick’s routines, from ballet to acrobatics to aerialism and more, even without it. Audible gasps of awe erupted from my audience as a performer climbed above our heads onto an aerial hoop and sliced down the aisle, swift and sharp as a razor.

Well crafted and inspiring as the acts flow exceptionally well. Nutcracker Rouge brags for 2 hours with its clever, original twist on Marie-Claire and the Sugar Plum Fairy — one that, without spoiling, suggests that a little indulgence can be transformative, if only we let it. This show gets no “Nods”. I didn’t fall asleep once!!!! Or at least that’s what I’m told. The entire enperience is so serene and trippy, it’s a bit like having a dream. If you’re in Manhattan it’s worth a trip to Brooklyn.

Runtime: 2 hours with 2 15 minute intermissions

For Tickets:
http://companyxiv.com/live