Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

It's a fresh take on a very familiar tale. The husband and wife team of Dennis and Kelly Strom has started a new family theater organization. The Limelight Theatre Company is presenting its first-ever show, and its an original work written by Dennis Strom that tells "The Nutcracker Story."

Based on E.T.A. Hoffman's novella "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," the play is billed as the story that inspired the classic ballet.

"This is actually the first stage script that we can find, and we have really researched this, where it actually tells the whole tale as E.T.A. Hoffman originally put it down," Kelly Strom, the play's director, said. "You know, the ballet is actually told, the second or third version of the original story, and the ballet only talks about one small portion of the story."

For her company's initial offering, Kelly Strom is in the director's chair. She found a talented cast of veteran actors to perform the scenes created by her husband.

"I think that kids especially will like it a lot because you can follow the story more easily because there's actual said words instead of just dancing," Sarah Hofmann, who is playing "Marie," said. "And I think the people that like the ballet will like this a lot, too, because it's the same story."

"The Nutcracker is a man that's been placed under a spell and he falls in love with a young girl who in turn has to love him for the spell to be broken," Asa Miller, who plays the title role, said.

In a very busy holiday season, the Stroms are hopeful that an original play set in a recognizable world will strike a chord with potential theater goers.

"This, which was written by Dennis, my husband, he pulled it directly from E.T.A. Hoffman's original tale and it tells how the Nutcracker came to be," Kelly Strom said. "Why he is what he is, how the curse was broken. How the whole story really, truly plays out."

The Limelight Theatre Company presents "The Nutcracker Story"
Dec. 19-22, 7 p.m.
Dec. 22, 2 p.m.
Capitol Theater 123 Summers St., Charleston
Tickets: $15 Adults, $11 Children 12 and Under
To reserve tickets call 304-342-6522

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