“The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads…” Clement Clarke Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”

We’re all supposed to have visions of sugarplums this time of year before Santa comes to visit, but what about the sugarplums who have visions themselves? When a Sugar Plum Fairy in a performance of The Nutcracker ballet gets into her head that she’s in danger, she only has one place to turn: the great Basil Bremerton. But can even the eccentric genius prove the impossible? It was time for MMP to create our first standalone holiday production, so, for our 40th Master Production, we returned to London between the World Wars to explore a not-so-happy holiday in…

VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS

The Adventures of Basil Bremerton, starring the eccentric English detective known for unraveling the most impossible crimes, commanded the radio waves for years as the world’s favorite mystery radio program between the World Wars. For a delectable holiday treat, radio fans were whisked to a frosty December night in London 1934 for a premiere performance of the Chamberlain Ballet’s production of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. But opening night sours when the Sugar Plum Fairy falls ill onstage and dies. Her death leaves a bad taste in Basil’s mouth when we learn the prima ballerina sought the detective’s help the afternoon before she died. Some phantom of the ballet had been tormenting her: leaving nasty messages, slashing her costume to ribbons, hiding dead mice in her dressing room. Yet the evidence always vanished before she could summon witnesses. The company just thought their prima ballerina was making up stories for attention. But Basil is not one to sugarcoat the situation so easily, and before anyone can have a happy holiday, he makes it his mission to ferret out the sour note hiding in the Land of Sweets. Pull up an armchair to the fireside, listen to this holiday radio special, and see if you can match wits with Basil Bremerton to solve this confectionary crime.

It’s been ten years of MMP staging shows around the West Coast (and sometimes beyond). During the lockdown of the COVID pandemic, we received an intriguing commission. A middle school in the Midwest wanted a fun activity for their students since field trips were cancelled. We learned the kids were studying Sherlock Holmes in English class (Cue instantaneous jealousy.), so writer/director Daniel Stallings developed a radio show inspired by classic 1930’s radio dramas a la The Adventures of Ellery Queen and The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This format would allow actors the chance to perform without needing to be physically in the same space per lockdown rules. And so, Basil Bremerton, eccentric and genius detective who loved uncanny clues, impossible circumstances, and questionable fashion, was born with Mum’s the Word.

Mum’s the Word was an absolute delight, and one of our best productions ever made. It captured the vibe of a 1930’s radio drama perfectly, even though it was made nearly a century later. So when our 10th anniversary came around, we had an idea. What if Basil Bremerton returned for a Christmas tale? To do that, we needed our Basil (played by Calvin Johnson), our Benjamin Anders, his loyal shadow (played by Davis Kunz), and our Inspector Harlow (played by Jonathan Blair) to agree to revive their roles. Well, we were blessed by all three agreeing to return and set out to find our holiday adventure. Daniel Stallings’ sister was a ballerina for many years, and he saw more productions of The Nutcracker ballet in his youth than many people have. So he was very familiar with the story of Clara, the Nutcracker Prince, Herr Drosselmeyer, the Mouse King, and the dozens of denizens of the Land of Sweets from Mother Ginger to the iconic Sugar Plum Fairy. Sugar Plum became a perfect holiday icon to center the story on. As such, the production is dedicated to Stallings’ sister and the memories of her days in dance.

Stallings tried to tie his mystery with elements of The Nutcracker ballet. References to the Battle of the Mice and the Mouse King are echoed in the mysterious mice in Astrid’s dressing room. Holiday sweets end up an important clue. Even dance itself is a key moment to figuring out what happened to Astrid. Leave no stone unturned. And question everything.

The cast of Visions of Sugarplums contains a bevy of wonderful talent backed by the dynamic duo of Basil and Anders. Several of them are Diamond Mask Award-winning actors or MMP Hall of Fame Artists who performed in Mum’s the Word. Some are new to our digital shows or to Master Mystery Productions, and we are delighted to include their artistry in the show. Visions of Sugarplums blends radio drama with expressive film to create a delicious holiday treat for classic mystery fans who love a good Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie tale with a snowy spin.

Filming for Visions of Sugarplums actually began Christmas Eve 2024. Stallings’ family Christmas decorations last year was themed to the Land of Sweets with donut and ice cream ornaments, ribbon candy garland, a snow village caked in marshallow snow, and baking nutcrackers. As in its predecessor, Mum’s the Word, we wanted the backing film that formed the bulk of the show to display a vintage radio. Not only that, but we wanted Visions of Sugarplums to echo the Yule Log videos you could play on TV at Christmastime. A fire crackling in the fireplace. A vintage radio playing a thrilling adventure. And of course, a trio of nutcrackers gasping at the twists and turns of a mystery as devilish as Devil’s Food cake! So just before midnight on Christmas morning, Stallings filmed his first footage for the show…before even having a script. But soon, Basil will rule the radio waves once again as Visions of Sugarplums hits YouTube later this month!

Visions fo Sugarplums premieres December 20, 2025 at noon on the Master Mystery Productions YouTube channel. Be sure to like and subscribe, so you don’t miss the premiere and all the other digital treats MMP has in store for the coming years. Because we have more surprises than a Christmas pudding up our sleeves.

Have a happy holiday season from MMP! We can’t wait for you to hear Visions of Sugarplums!

–Master Mystery Productions