Farewell to founder's 'Nutcracker' in Joffrey's 2015-16 season
The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago announced Tuesday that it plans to retire its 1987 version of “The Nutcracker,” choreographed by the company's co-founding namesake Robert Joffrey, after Christmas.
A new version is set to debut in 2016 by British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who helmed the Joffrey's recent updated take on “Swan Lake.”
The farewell of “The Nutcracker” (24 performances, Dec. 4-27) was just part of the big news for the Joffrey Ballet's 2015-16 season at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University which features:
• “Millennials” (five performances, Sept. 16-20) — A repertory program featuring world premieres of works by Annabelle Lopez and Myles Thatcher, plus the Chicago premiere of Wheeldon's “Fool's Paradise.”
• “Sylvia” (10 performances, Oct. 14-25) — The North American premiere of Midwest native John Neumeier's mythological story ballet set to music by Delibes.
• “Bold Moves” (10 performances, Feb. 10-21) — A mixed repertory program featuring a world premiere by Ashley Page and revivals of Yuri Possokhov's “RAkU” and Jirí Kylián's “Forgotten Land.”
• “Cinderella” (10 performances, April 20-May 1) — A revival of Frederick Ashton's fairy tale ballet set to Prokofiev's classic score.
Single tickets are $32-$170 and $32-$136 for “The Nutcracker” (available from Aug. 15). Discounted subscription packages are now available. Call (312) 386-8905 or visit joffrey.org for more information.