New Joffrey season includes move to Civic Opera House, world premiere of 'Of Mice and Men'

Posted February 18, 2020 12:00 am

By Scott C. Morgan

The Joffrey Ballet makes the leap to the Civic Opera House for its 2020-21 season, which marks the company's 65th anniversary and its 25th year in Chicago.

Story ballets dominate the season, which features one world premiere and many company premieres.

The Joffrey's 2020-21 season features:

• "Manon" (10 performances, Oct. 14-25) - Sir Kenneth MacMillan's classic 1974 ballet set to music by Jules Massenet makes its Joffrey premiere. It's about an 18th century woman torn between the promise of true love and pursuing a life of luxury.

• "The Nutcracker" (29 performances, Dec. 5-27) - Christopher Wheeldon's resetting of the classic 1892 Tchaikovsky Christmas ballet to Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition returns for its fifth year.

• "Of Mice and Men" and "Serenade" (10 performances, Feb. 17-28) - John Steinbeck's classic Great Depression novella receives a world premiere dance adaptation by choreographer Cathy Marston ("Jane Eyre") and composer Thomas Newman ("Skyfall," "1917"). This dance double bill also features the company premiere of George Balanchine's 1935 ballet "Serenade," which is set to music by Tchaikovsky.

• "The Little Mermaid" (10 performances, April 21-May 2) - Choreographer John Neumeier and composer Lera Auerback's 2005 ballet adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale receives its Chicago premiere.

Season subscriptions are on sale now, and single tickets are available Saturday, Aug. 1. For details, call (312) 386-8905 or visit joffrey.org.

The Joffrey Ballet presents the Chicago premiere of John Neumeier's "The Little Mermaid" as part of its 2020-21 season. Courtesy of Kiran West

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