On September 13 at The Regent Theatre Melbourne the curtain will rise on the world premiere of Joby Talbot and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar. This celebrated composer-choreographer partnership spans two decades, Oscar being the pair's 6th ballet. Literary, musical and choreographic creative forces collide in this new full-length ballet commissioned by its Artistic Director David Hallberg for The Australian Ballet.
Taking inspiration from two of Oscar Wilde’s stories, The Nightingale and the Rose and The Picture of Dorian Gray, Talbot and Wheeldon weave Wilde’s triumphs and trials through choreography and music. Stage design is by Wheeldon’s regular collaborator Jean-Marc Puissant, and Jonathan Lo, Music Director and Chief Conductor of The Australian Ballet, conducts Orchestra Victoria in Melbourne, and the Opera Australia Orchestra in Sydney for performances from November 8. This story of an infamous dandy and his tales will be a sensational addition to The Australian Ballet repertoire which already includes Talbot and Wheeldon’s first full length ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Other works created by this deeply collaborative duo include Fool’s Paradise, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Winter’s Tale, Tide Harmonic and Like Water for Chocolate.
Watch Christopher Wheeldon unpack his creative process.
Watch the dancers discuss the new ballet
Find tickets for both the Melbourne (Sept 13-24) and Sydney (Nov 8-23) runs through the Australian Ballet's website here.
