Oscar (ballet)

Oscar
ChoreographerChristopher Wheeldon
MusicJoby Talbot
Premiere13 September 2024 (2024-09-13)
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
Original ballet companyThe Australian Ballet
CharactersOscar Wilde
DesignJean-Marc Puissant

Oscar is a ballet in two acts choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon to a score by Joby Talbot with stage and costume design by Jean-Marc Puissant.[1] The ballet is based on the life of Oscar Wilde focussing on his time in Reading Gaol, but incorporating scenes from throughout his life. It weaves two of Wilde's stories into the ballet - The Nightingale and the rose and the Portrait of Dorian Gray.[2] It was commissioned by the Australian Ballet and premiered in Melbourne in September 2024.[3][4]

Oscar is the first full-length ballet commissioned by the Australian Ballet's artistic director David Hallberg.[5] and the first full-length narrative ballet commissioned by the Australian Ballet in 20 years.[6]

Synopsis

Prologue

Oscar Wilde is prosecuted under Britain's Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 that criminalised all sex acts between men. Details of his life are under intense scrutiny in the courtroom.

Act 1

Wilde sits in his jail cell where he recalls better times on a family picnic with his wife Constance and their two boys. He reads them his fairy tale, The Nightingale and the Rose. We see the story unfold interspersed with scenes from Wilde's life in London's social circles and we see the beginnings of his relationship with Robbie Ross.

Act 2

Subjected to hard labour in prison, Wilde is malnourished and broken. He has tinnitus in one ear due to a fall. Alone and in despair Wilde recalls scenes from his story The Picture of Dorian Gray as well as his relationship with Bosie (Lord Alfred Douglas). Dorian makes a deal with the devil to keep his beauty intact while his portrait is gradually transforming to become more and more grotesque. Wilde and Douglas's relationship deepens leading Lord Queensbury (Douglas's father) to denounce Wilde and his eventual conviction. We see parallels with Dorian, who's life collapses to restore his portrait to its former beauty.

Epilogue

On his release, Wilde is collected from prison by his friend Robbie Ross. Broken and with reputation destroyed he dies a few years later aged 46. His writing lives on and continues to be read and enjoyed today.

Critical reception

The ballet was well received on its premiere. Jane Howard writing for the Guardian said that the pas de deux between Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas "deserves to take its place in the pantheon of great romantic balletic pairings".[7] Writing in The Age, Andrew Fuhrmann gave the ballet 5 stars and called it "a daring but fantastically rewarding experiment in ballet storytelling".[6]

References

  1. ^ "Oscar©". The Australian Ballet. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  2. ^ Christofis, Lee (2024-09-16). "'Oscar: A memorable opening night from The Australian Ballet' by Lee Christofis". Australian Book Review. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  3. ^ Grant, Yvette (2024-09-16). "Oscar: the tragedy and beauty of Wilde's life, and an historic moment on the ballet stage". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  4. ^ "Ballet rarely depicts queer love. A new show about the life of Oscar Wilde is changing that". ABC News. 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  5. ^ OBrien, Kerrie (2024-09-05). "Inside the 'big, gay' story the ballet has been scared to tell". The Age. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  6. ^ a b Fuhrmann, Bridget Davies, Andrew (2024-09-17). "La Boheme is an opera so good, it's enjoyable even when the production is imperfect". The Age. Retrieved 2024-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Howard, Jane (2024-09-14). "The Australian Ballet: Oscar review – much to love in this blend of classical and contemporary dance". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-17.


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