Hartford Ballet.

Kirk Peterson's notion to set The American Nutcracker in the Sierras in the nineteenth century is such a good idea that if s a wonder no one thought of it before. Instead of Clara, a child actress named Lotta Crabtree in 1850s California takes the journey from home to encounter the Sugar Plum Faerie Queen and Cavalier beneath the boughs of an ancient plum tree, a reminder of the Asian influence on the settling of the West. Brought to life along the lines of the familiar scenario, among vivid settings and costumes by Sandra Woodall, who combined the pioneer milieu with the beauty of nature, the new production was funded by a $500,000 grant from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

As performed by members of the Hartford Ballet and children from the company's school, Peterson's choreography follows the conventions of Petipa and Ivanov. One major change is a pas de cinq for a young Indian brave and an American eagle, performed by Timothy Melady and Allison Jay. They dance the variation to the "Arabian" music accompanied by a huge shadow puppet eagle with three handlers. Other new characters in the Act 11 divertissements include a beehive in place of Mother Ginger (with tiny bees inside) and a troupe of sea otters. The mice in Act I are dressed in denim overalls and miners' hats.

No problem about Tchaikovsky's music fitting the concept. It's as if the Russian composer had the sweep of the California mountains in mind when he conceived the rich themes of the score.