One of the most beloved of all ballets – Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker – will be staged at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) next month.

Accompanied by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO), China’s Suzhou Ballet will perform their version of the perennial favorite from Nov. 11-13.

Tickets are already selling fast for the ballet, Bruce Robinson, Head of Communications at the QPO, told Doha News.

“We’ve already sold more tickets for this performance than anything in the last five years (and probably our history),” he said.

The ballet is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. And the plot involves a toy Nutcracker that comes alive on Christmas Eve, defeating an evil Mouse King.

A shortened version of the Nutcracker was performed in Qatar at Katara Cultural Village in 2013, and a acrobatic version a year later.

However, this is the first time it has been performed with full staging and orchestral accompaniment in the country.

Record ticket sales

Despite the fact that its 1892 premiere in Russia did not go well, the ballet now sells out theaters worldwide, particularly in the run-up to Christmas.

Tickets are on sale via the QPO’s website, and cost between QR43 and QR1,000 per person.

The Suzhou ballet’s visit to Doha is part of the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture, which has also featured a variety of exhibitions, including a visit from some of China’s famous terracotta warriors.

Do you plan to go? Thoughts?