16-show run at the Somerville Theatre, the third annual “Slutcracker” promises to be “funny, sexy and gorgeous.”~ Photo by Andrew Firestone

‘The Slutcracker’ returns to Somerville Theatre

By Andrew Firestone

Picture “The Nutcracker” with pole dancing and you have Somerville’s most successful burlesque show.

Kicking off December 3 for a 16-show run at the Somerville Theatre, the third annual “Slutcracker” promises to be “funny, sexy and gorgeous,” Vanessa White said.

White said it wasn’t a huge leap to take the Nutcracker, a staple of the holiday ballet scene in Boston, and transform it into the “Slutcracker.” “I mean, the story about the nutcracker is about a little girl who gets a toy nutcracker for Christmas from a creepy dude, totally creepy,” says White, “and she has a dream where the doll grows up and takes her to a land of candy.”

“The Slutcracker is actually an anthropomorphized [sex-toy],” says White, “So Clara gets a vibrator for Christmas from her wacky aunt Drosselmeyer. The vibrator turns into the [sex-toy] Prince.”

After the prince defeats Clara’s fiancé, and his hoard of “bad Christmas-sweater wearing” friends, she is whisked away to a diverse and sultry land of international burlesque. All of our favorite Tchaikovsky compositions are there, with a little twist for each section. “Everyone’s favorite is usually the Russian dance,” said White. “In this show, our Russian Dance is a dominatrix. We have dominatrices, on point, with whips.”

Merely the tip of the iceberg, White’s cast of dancers has put together a whirlwind of burlesque-style dance, including the Argentinean Tango, a pole dance, and others.

The show, says cast member Paolo Mania of Arlington, is not merely a spoof. “It actually has somewhat to say and it has a human element that I think really connects with people,” he said. “Who doesn’t have conflict in their own love-life?” Playing the fiancé, Fritz, Mania must contend with the phallic prince, or princess depending on which cast is performing.

- Photo by Andrew Firestone

Pamela Passion of Cambridge, who portrays the aforementioned character, expounded on the loyal attributes of the sex toy, “because that’s what [sex-toys] are, they are always devoted and they are always there and ready to go.”

While White said she was interested in fighting taboos, her biggest goal was to have her audience feel alive. “I want them to sit in the audience and feel delighted. Like a high production performance with people of all shapes and sizes and colors and varieties and talents all on one stage.”

“Maybe even a little uncomfortable,” she said, “like they’re sitting next to somebody and say ‘she just took off her top, eeeeeee.’ ”

The Slutcracker premieres on December 3, with tickets on-sale now at the Somerville Theatre.