Having sat through more than my fair share of performances of The Nutcracker, I can think of a few things that would make the ballet more interesting. For one, if Mother Ginger hid something more exciting under her skirt (like, say, cougars), it might spice things up a bit. But maybe for the audience's sake, tweaking the music would be a safer route. Why not channel Spike Jonze and add gunshots and cowbells to Tchaikovsky's score? That's what the characters of A Wisepecker Christmas, the newest production by the Hip Pocket Theatre, decide to do. Meanwhile, Mary Gayle Wisepecker tries to persuade her hippie husband Tom to participate in the revamped ballet. Shows are at 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays (through June 24) at the Silver Creek Amphitheatre, 1950 Silver Creek Road in Fort Worth. For tickets, call 817-246-9775 or visit hippocket.org.
Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m. Starts: June 1. Continues through June 24