It`s remarkable how a bold, slightly bonkers idea grew into a global theatre sensation — and now, Mumbai gets the first taste of it. This Christmas, The Nutcracker on Ice skates into the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, where The Grand Theatre has been transformed into a shimmering ice rink for the very first time. Twenty-three Olympic, World and National champions will glide onto stage with a dazzling production that fuses storytelling, theatre and elite ice skating — all set to the magic of the season.

“Everything starts here,” says director Tony Mercer, tapping his head during a Zoom call from his home in the UK, recalling the idea he had three decades ago — to stage the classic Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker, on ice. An admirer of ice skating, Mercer felt the sport was confined to large, cold arenas — too restrictive for someone rooted in theatre. He wondered why ice skating couldn’t be staged in a theatre instead, an idea that led to the launch of Imperial Ice Stars in 2004. This world-class company presents story-driven productions like The Nutcracker or Swan Lake on a frozen stage.