It took its inspiration from the comic artist Charles Burns, whose art is personal and deeply instilled with archetypal concepts of guilt, childhood, adolescent sexuality, and poignant, nostalgic portrayals of post-war America.
The Hard Nut premiered on 12 January 1991 at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, just short of the 100th anniversary of the creation of Tchaikovsky's classic score.
Shortly after the premiere, the Mark Morris Dance Group returned to the United States, having finished their three-year residency at the Monnaie.
Princess Pirlipat is turned into a pig-snouted creature as a baby by the vengeful Mouse Queen, and Drosselmeyer searches the world for a way to break the spell, thus ushering the famous Danses caracterisques of Act II.
The DVD extras include "The Arabian Dance," segment which had been cut from the film due to time constraints,[3] and Mark Morris's reflections on the original and ongoing productions of his version of the ballet.