The Clerici String Quartet gave a performance to audience members at the Italian American club in Walpole on Saturday afternoon. A part of the Carol Hunt-Clerici Chamber Music Series, the performance took on a holiday theme, seamlessly blending theatre, ballet, and chamber music into one unique performance of “The Nutcracker.”

Opening with the preparation of the Stahlbaum House for Christmas Eve and closing with Clara awakening on Christmas Day, the performance carried the audience through a one-of-a-kind performance of “The Nutcracker.” Before each piece, actress Christine Lee would take the podium and set the stage with a narration: “Godfather Drosselmeyer wastes no time unveiling his latest inventions: three life-sized dolls. One by one, he opens the boxes and winds up the mechanical wonderments. Drosselmeyer waves his arms, and like magic they each come to life, performing a unique dance. While the gears are wound the magical dolls move lively, when the keys stop turning, they halt.”