(Photo: Greg Gorman)

There have been celebrity guests at “Slutcracker” before – Soul Coughing’s Mike Doughty showed up two years ago – but the local holiday tradition has an opening night guest this year that may never be topped: John Waters, the director behind such transgressive film delights as “Pink Flamingos” and the retro “Hairspray.”

Tickets go on sale Aug. 1 for the seventh annual bawdy, burlesque retelling of the “Nutcracker” ballet, with performances from Dec. 4 to New Year’s Eve.

The show, created and directed by Vanessa White – also known as the dancer Sugar Dish – has sold out its runs from year one, and tickets for Waters’ appearance are expected to go quickly.