Going to see The Nutcracker during the holidays is a tradition as old as eggnog and fruit cake, but most productions of the ballet have been clearly, and snobbishly, aimed for adults, or at least, audience members with the maturity to interpret the story based merely on the choreography and music. Tthanks to New York Theatre Ballet’s charming “Once Upon a Ballet” series, even the youngest family members will be able to bask in the joys of The Nutcracker. Their one-hour version of the famous holiday classic choreographed by Keith Michael makes its return to New York after premiering in 2011.

After a charming introduction in which we meet Marie (Amanda Treiber), we are almost immediately thrown into the action, as we see the Nutcracker she received for Christmas turn into a valiant young Prince (Stephen Campanella) who rescues her from a Rat Queen (Carmella Lauer) and her vicious allies. The costumes by Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan should be highly commended for their efficiency, as she is able to turn mice tails into delightfully odd elements that will make the show less scary for children. Her use of masks in the Marzipan Sheep sequence is elicited countless “aww”s from audience members.

After defeating the rodents, Marie and the Prince travel to many magical lands where they are entertained by performers who execute Chinese Chopsticks, Arabian Shadows and Russian Boules, a show stopping number performed with exercise balls. As children see the dances that accompany the musical pieces they must have heard before, it’s impossible not to applaud the New York Theatre Ballet for their economic storytelling which never condescends to the younger members of the audience. A little boy in front of me, quite literally sat on the edge of his seat during the entire performance, occasionally turning his head towards his mother, his mouth half open in pure awe, as he tried to see if she too was seeing the wonders he was.