The wow effect was high at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 17. More than 2,000 complimentary invites, courtesy of Montefiore Health System, went out for that night’s performance of The Nutcracker, presented by the Westchester Ballet Company (WBC).

As a gesture of appreciation for their outstanding efforts on the front line for almost two years, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, most of the audience comprised healthcare workers from Montefiore Health System’s New York metro locations. In a press release announcing the event, WBC described the invited audience members as “tirelessly caring for the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Some audience members had never seen a performance of The Nutcracker, while others had never set foot in the recently renovated Lehman Center. “It’s a beautiful production….I’m taken by it,” said Voiteka Rymarowicz, director of rehabilitation services for home care at Montefiore. “It’s absolutely stunning. It’s wonderful that our company sponsored it.”

As reported, the Lehman Center venue underwent a $15.6 million renovation in recent years which was completed in 2019, and the 2,276-seat concert hall has been lauded for its superb acoustics. As reported, like many other theaters, the Lehman Center stage went dark for many months over the course of the pandemic, but received a major boost ahead of its much anticipated Oct. 2 reopening, when it secured more than $1.1 million in public and nonprofit funding for fiscal year 2021-2022.

On the night of the Nutcracker performance for Montefiore’s healthcare workers, it was both the production value and the performances, however, which received the highest praise. Annie Goscicki lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and made the trip to the Bronx because of her love of ballet, and at the invitation of her friend, Rymarowicz, who said he was glad he was able to invite two of his friends to see the production with him.

“The [sets] are fantastic … it’s like Lincoln Center,” Goscicki said. She also had special praise for the youngest performers of the ballet company. “The children are fantastic… and I imagine myself [100 years ago] at this Christmas party, and the kids are so excited.”

Meanwhile, for his part, Dr. Michael Cabana, physician-in-chief at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, saw a natural connection between the WBC performance of The Nutcracker and the focus of his practice. “It’s a perfect partnership with the Children’s Hospital,” Cabana said. “The Nutcracker is a classic children’s story. It’s about a child, a child’s toy, and holiday magic.  What could be more perfect than that?”

Not every audience member had a connection to Montefiore Health System. Still, Carla Cerulli had a very special reason to attend the performance. Her 10-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, played the role of an angel in Act II. Cerulli also had high praise for the healthcare heroes in attendance. “We need to be there for one another; they have been our heroes,” she said. “The students [at WBC] have been working so hard to put on a show that would be a ‘thank you’ for everything they’ve done.”