Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works

Last Updated on October 2, 2025

Magic and Joy in Four Christopher Wheeldon Ballets

5.0 out of 5.0 stars

The mixed programme Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works has just opened at Covent Garden and is a tribute to the internationally acclaimed choreographer Christopher Wheeldon OBE. It is a chance to see on the ROH stage some of his works that originated in places other than The Royal Ballet, and it showcases his breadth of creative output and his range; from neoclassical ballet to the freer contemporary and onwards to the Broadway stage. The programme demonstrates the sculptural beauty and musicality of his choreography. The four ballets: Fool’s Paradise, The Two of Us, Us, and finally An American in Paris, were put together to highlight Wheeldon’s main influences, which include his life-long love of both classical and contemporary ballet and musicals.  

The Neo-Classical Fool’s Paradise (2007) was the first ballet of the evening. The haunting score by Joby Talbot beautifully accompanied the choreography, marking the first of Wheeldon’s many collaborations with Talbot. The dancers were dressed simply in flesh-coloured leotards and tights (Costume Designer, Narciso Rodriguez) and danced in trios and duets, performing stunning lifts and arabesques, and demonstrating excellent lines and poses. The trio (Akane Takada, William Bracewell and Liam Boswell) made a dramatic start with the two men going into penché arabesques, the ballerina lit by a ray of light.

Viola Pantuso joined the first trio and was stunning throughout. The partnering work of the ballet involved complicated, off-centre balances and wonderful armography, elegant arm shape and port de bras. The set successfully conjured a magical atmosphere, kept dark save for streams of light and wisps of golden confetti (Lighting, Penny Jacobus).  Marianela Nuñez and Lukas B. Brӕndsrǿd were breathtaking, performing an intricate and sensuous duet; they danced while folding into each other, pulling apart, sliding, arms entwined, and rising into cleverly unusual lifts. Teo Dubreuil, Annette Buvoli and Giacomo Rovero in the second trio also gave striking performances, with a particularly beautiful tableau held at the end.

The next two ballets were in a more contemporary style; these were The Two of Us and Us, and the orchestra, elevating the fun and dynamism on stage, was seated on stage during both ballets. The Two of Us (UK Premiere) was created during the pandemic in 2020 for the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City, and it was the last work that Wheeldon made for Sara Mearns and David Hallberg before he left to become the Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet.

Set to four covers of the songs by esteemed American singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, it explores the relationship between a couple struggling to maintain their romance with a strong sense of intimacy and deep yearning. The atmosphere is quiet and soothing and the singer, Julia Fordham, sang with convincing husky tenderness. There was unfortunate mic issues due to flooding backstage, but Fordham’s presence and vocal performance remained captivating.

Lauren Cuthbertson and Calvin Richardson danced in solos and duets, and sensitively conveyed the reflective personalities of the characters. Calvin, dressed in a grey one-piece, moved fluidly through his unfurling shapes, sweeping and arching, melting and then reaching, communicating tension and struggle through his body and outstretched hands. Lauren Cuthbertson, dressed in an orange one-piece with her hair down, was beautifully easy and subtle in her movements, and her duets with Calvin were touching and charming.

Us is a ballet for two men, danced by Matthew Ball and Joseph Sissens. They were barefoot and dressed simply in blue trousers and bare torsos (Costume Design, Katherine Watt). This was a deeply reflective and expressive work which explores the filial, soulful and brotherly connection between two male bodies, working and communicating with each other.

It was created in 2017 for BalletBoyz and is set to the music of Keaton Henson.  Ball and Sissens danced with great strength and emotion, and the use of their weight distribution and counterbalancing against each other was breathtaking. This brilliantly danced ballet was very well received by the audience, and likely the standout of the four ballets in terms of power and lasting impression.

The final ballet of the evening was an excerpt from An American in Paris, from Wheeldon’s Tony award-winning musical, and it showcases Wheeldon’s love of musical theatre. Wheeldon was inspired by the 1951 film starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, which is a story of a romance between an American, G.I. Jerry (Cesar Corrales), and a French ballerina, Lise (Anna Rose O’Sullivan replacing Francesca Hayward).

This ballet is an extended sequence in which Jerry and Lise dance through Paris, and it is set to the deliciously jazzy melodies of George Gershwin. The costumes are in vivid primary colours against a backdrop of bright blue, with Jerry and Lise in an arresting black. These were designed by Bob Crowley, Tony and Laurence Olivier Award winner.  Natasha Katz, the Lighting Designer, also won a Tony Award for this ballet, and she was also the Lighting Designer for Us and The Two of Us. Bob Crowley and Natasha Katz are frequent collaborators with Wheeldon.

The dancers were on fire for this ballet; passionate, fun and energetic, Cesar and O’Sullivan, in a raven-haired bob, were wonderful as the leading couple. They were stylish and exciting, and all the dancers performed the choreography with joy and verve.  The final tableau is held against the Paris skyline, all the dancers positioned to perfection with Jerry sitting downstage and Lise held aloft.

The orchestra was on fine form, conducted ably by Koen Kessels. Overall, the standout for me in Ballet to Broadway was certainly Us, which was such a unique and powerful ballet, and the beautiful Fool’s Paradise is also a highlight.

Christopher Wheeldon trained in and joined The Royal Ballet, where he loved the storytelling and character development of Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan.   He joined the New York City Ballet, where he enjoyed the works of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins and became its Artist in Residence (2000-01) and first Resident Choreographer in 2001. For the NYCB he has choreographed, amongst others, Carousel (A Dance) (2002), After the Rain and a ballet version of An American in Paris (2005).  At the same time, he continued working with The Royal Ballet and in 2012 he became its Artistic Associate, and among his works are Aeternum (2013) for which he received an Olivier Award, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2011), The Winter’s Tale (2014) and Like Water for Chocolate (2022).

Wheeldon formed his own transatlantic company in 2007, with its base in New York; Morphoses / The Wheeldon Company, for which he created Fool’s Paradise (2007). He has also worked for other companies around the world, such as The Royal Danish Ballet (a new version of The Sleeping Beauty, 2010) and the San Francisco Ballet (Within the Golden Hour, 2008).

As for the Broadway/musical theatre genre, he won the Tony Award for Best Choreography for the musical adaptation of An American in Paris, which he also directed. He is the director and choreographer of MJ the Musical (2022), for which he gained an Olivier Award. His latest full-length ballet, commissioned for The Australian Ballet, is Oscar, based on the life of Oscar Wilde.

Ballet to Broadway was highly enjoyable and a beautiful evening of dance, so I would recommend buying a ticket!  You can find them here:

Tickets link: Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works

9 – 27 May 2025

Ballet to Broadway
Royal Ballet and Opera
Bow Street
Covent Garden
London WC2E 9DD

For more ballet, we highly recommend Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland coming soon to RBO