Photo: Peter Paradise

An annual showcase of music, dance and the city’s diversity, Urban Nutcracker brings together the worlds of classical ballet, jazz and hip hop to present a spectacle that is uniquely Boston. The brainchild of former Boston Ballet dancer Tony Williams, the show takes up residence in the Back Bay’s John Hancock Hall December 16–31. Based on the original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann and featuring the music of Tchaikovsky and Duke Ellington, Urban Nutcracker relocates the action to the Hub, weaving such local icons as Make Way for Ducklings, Top of the Hub restaurant, Chinatown, the Fenway Park scoreboard, the Citgo sign and Boston Public Garden into the production.