RB&O: Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works

Broadcast live from The Royal Ballet and Opera, sensuous contemporary ballet meets the energy of musical theatre in four distinctive short works displaying the work of The Royal Ballet’s Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon.

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

The wistful songs of Joni Mitchell set the scene for the UK premiere of The Two of Us, a duet of deep intimacy and yearning. It was created in 2020 for the Fall for Dance Festival in New York and had American ballet dancers Sarah Mearns and David Hallberg in its original cast.

An American in Paris celebrates Wheeldon’s extraordinary success in the musical theatre by performing the ballet scene from his Tony winning musical, An American in Paris. Set to Gershwin’s jazzy melodies, the musical is inspired by the 1951 film of the same name.

Us is a tender duet danced by two men. It was created in 2017 for BalletBoyz and is set to Keaten Henson’s music.