The Royal Ballet | Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Werken

Christopher Wheeldon
Thu 22 May and Sun 22 Jun

The energy of musical theatre is channelled into sensual contemporary ballet in four different short works. Fool’s Paradise, The Two of Us, Us, An American in Paris: four works that showcase the enormous choreographic talent of The Royal Ballet's Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon.

Fool's Parardise:

The luminous and shimmering Fool’s Paradise was the first of Wheeldon’s many collaborations with composer Joby Talbot. Written in 2007 for Wheeldon’s own company, Morphoses, it was first performed by The Royal Ballet in 2012.

The Two of Us:

The wistful songs of Joni Mitchell are used for the UK premiere of The Two of Us, a duet of deep intimacy and longing. Written in 2020 for the Fall for Dance Festival in New York, it was originally cast by American ballet dancers Sarah Mearns and David Hallberg.

Us (duet):

Us is a tender duet danced by two men. Written in 2017 for BalletBoyz, it is set to music by Keaten Henson.

An American in Paris (Ballet):

The Royal Ballet is honouring Wheeldon’s exceptional success in musical theatre by staging the ballet scene from his Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris. The musical features Gershwin’s jazzy melodies and is inspired by the 1951 film of the same name starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. The musical has won four Tony Awards. The full-length musical chronicles the blossoming love between American G.I. Jerry Mulligan and a French ballerina, Lise Dassin. The ballet is Wheeldon’s interpretation of one of the film’s most unforgettable scenes – a long sequence in which the two main characters dance through Paris.

LIVE May 22, 2025
ENCORE June 22, 2025

During an encore you get to see the same performance. The only difference is that they are recorded and not live-streamed.