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It still has sugarplum fairies, a mouse king and a nutcracker prince, but with recognizable local settings, costumes and references the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s annual telling of the Nutcracker ballet is Louisiana flavored.

Celebrating its 16th anniversary, The Nutcracker, A Tale from the Bayou returns to the River Center for four performances. This year audiences can expect some surprises with new costumes, special effects and re-choreographed battle scenes.

BRBT Artistic Directors Molly Buchmann and Sharon Mathews are the creative minds behind this local holiday production. Through the years the two have tweaked their original vision, taking it from its humble beginnings as a traditional production to one with professional dancers, area celebrities and more than 300 children, as well as clever set design and character adaptations that have a unique bayou flair.

“It started out as a way for us to combine this beautiful ballet with the amazing landscape and traditions we have here in Louisiana,” Buchmann says. “It has just taken off from there.”

At the heart of this homegrown retelling of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, however, is still Clara, the enchanting young heroine. As the curtain opens her parrain is telling her a story about a magical nutcracker and as she falls asleep the audience enters her dreams, a magical word created by retired LSU theater professor Nels Anderson. His sets combine this classic tale with the recognizable majesty of Belle Grove, Nottoway and Oak Alley Plantations, as well Baton Rouge’s own Old State Capitol complete with stained-glass windows and the grand winding staircase.

Anderson even incorporates the Baton Rouge Balloon Festival, whisking Clara away to Candy Land in her very own hot-air balloon.

“I still feel the magic happen every year, even after all this time,” Anderson says. “It has something to do with seeing a vast audience of children totally involved with the images on the stage. That’s why I love live performance. If it’s done well, it captures the imagination in a way that no other form of performance ever can.”

Guest artists Hiroko Sakakibara and Paul Thrussell are joined by more than 20 BRBT company dancers, and Advocate columnist Smiley Anders reprises his role as Clara’s grandfather.

Tickets range from $22 to $50. Performances are Dec. 15 and 16 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra joins the ballet Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. for a special gala performance.

batonrougeballet.org