Musical reading with Katharina, Anna, and Nellie Thalbach at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm in the Ernst-Reuter Hall
For Katharina Thalbach, E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” is closely linked to her childhood: in 1954, an edition with detailed, partly colored illustrations was published, and it was one of her first and favorite children’s books. Later, she read from it to her daughter Anna. Anna carried on the tradition and inspired her daughter Nellie to love the story.
Image gallery
Nussknacker und Mäusekönig
Between Christmas and New Year’s, the three Thalbach women are now reading Hoffmann’s eerily beautiful Christmas fairy tale for the first time, in which the courageous seven-year-old Marie stands protectively in front of one of her gifts—a not-quite-perfect nutcracker—and thereby embarks on a fantastical adventure full of dangers. This does not come without consequences.
The reading is accompanied by illustrations that bring Hoffmann’s fairy-tale world and that of his young heroine to life, as well as music from Peter Tchaikovsky’s ballet, *The Nutcracker*, which was inspired by Hoffmann’s story.
Join Katharina, Anna, and Nellie Thalbach on an enchanting journey into the world of childhood imagination and enjoy an afternoon filled with fairy tales, music, and Christmas magic.
Tip for afterward: Head back to the warmth of home, to the treats and gifts that might just take on a life of their own overnight.
Additional information
Dates
December 2026
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