The Plot:Now both the Mermaid and the Poet are alone, rejected by Edvard/the Prince but unable to go back to life before this intense love. Intense theatricality. Perhaps most striking are the suspended, curved lines of inlaid LED lights that elegantly evoke waves when combined with blue general lighting and a watery backdrop. Though its pacing and narrative may flounder, the sheer creative ingenuity and an enrapturing performance from Gayeon Jung make "The Little Mermaid" an unmissable entry in Joffrey's expansive repertoire. Wheater hopes big productions like The Little Mermaid meet the audiences longing for live performances post-pandemic. Tickets: $36-$200 at 312-386-8905 and Joffrey.org. The Little Mermaid. Sunday, April 30, 2023 2:00PM . She really does love him. The Plot:We meet the Poet at the bottom of the sea, where his desire for Edvard takes shape as a mermaid who dreams of visiting the human world. The final performance is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 p.m. Tickets are on sale for all three performances and start at $36. "The Little Mermaid" is playing at The Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, through April 30, 2023. Then theres Victoria Jaiani, who just two months ago was dancingthe lead role in Anna Karenina. I didnt think she could get better than that, but here we are. Tickets are on sale for all three performances and start at $36. But most important is her ability to inhabit and project the feelings of the Little Mermaid, especially the characters fear, doubt and vulnerability when she arrives essentially naked onshore about being transformed into a human. We know that people are really wanting to come back to the theater, said Wheater. One of the girls, a Princesslooking very much like Henriettediscovers the Prince. Yoshihisa Arai and ensemble in "The Little Mermaid" by Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera House. What Should I Look For? Each seems the shadow of the othereach abandoned by the object of their intense love. All casting is subject to change. Victoria Jaiani projects fear, doubt and vulnerability in the title role of The Little Mermaid, by the Joffrey Ballet. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. The little Mermaid is left alone. This time, the Prince finds the Mermaid washed up on the shore and takes her onboard his ship. While the ballet and the Disney film share certain narrative landmarks, you wont find thingamabobs or dancing lobsters here. By extension, we as viewers are left to wrestle with our own choices and painful compromises made in pursuit of desire. With sets and costumes of the grandest scale, this critically acclaimed production is the largest-ever in The Joffrey Ballet's history. A gripping tableau of shadows and colors, Neumeiers beautifully haunting interpretation of Hans Christian Andersens 1837 fairytale follows the tormented mermaid heroine on a journey between the divergent worlds of land and seaone utterly complex, the other magnificently serene. What Should I Look For? Note: The next Joffrey production will be "The Little Mermaid," a ballet by John Neumeier running April 19-30 at the Lyric Opera House. Magical sets. With disorienting dissonances, eerie glissandos, angry percussion, thrusting brass, plaintive violin solos and punctuating, insistent piano strokes, the music is at once forlorn and raw, atmospheric and angry, entrancing and agitating. This ballet could not exist without the rich, deeply expressive score by Lera Auerbach, a Soviet-born Austrian American composer who shows herself to be every bit a successor in this realm to Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Claire Rice, executive director with Arts Alliance Illinois, told WBEZs Reset theaters business models are facing fundamental challenges and the words fiscal cliff are not unfamiliar to the areas performing arts organizations. Follow her @Araceli1010. By Kyle MacMillen, Chicago Sun-Times April 20, 2023 And next week (Feb. 23-25), the Hamburg Ballet of Germany will bring another Neumeier ballet, "The Glass Menagerie," to the Harris Theater. Determined to become human, the little Mermaid searches for the Sea Witch. We conducted a brief survey of the entire field showing 41% in November of 2022 are still seeing significant revenue loss for their organization, said Rice. In spite of her efforts, she is still awkward and clumsy in her human body. Their Captain, a Princestrongly resembling Edvardis absurdly playing golf. April 29, 2023 at 7:31 AM. Look closely at The Little Mermaid and one can glimpse all these influences. Tickets are on sale for all three performances and start at $36. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. She tentatively wakes him. 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Victoria Jaiani (center, as the title character) and the company of The Little Mermaid at the Joffrey Ballet. Choose another item. Players wave their hands near two antennas to create wavering, otherworldly sounds that are ideally suited to this ballet. Administrative Offices 312.739.0120. . 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Neumeiers beautifully haunting interpretation of Hans Christian Andersens 1837 tragic folk tale follows the tormented mermaid on a journey between the divergent worlds of land and seaone utterly complex, the other magnificently serene. . This isnt the animated film version, but instead a sophisticated take on Andersens fable with a little twist: Neumeier adds a biographical gloss to the story, adding in a Poet, based loosely on Andersen himself. The Little Mermaidruns now-April 30 at the Lyric Opera House. Love gives the little Mermaid courage to beg for a human body. After all of the angst and torture of the earlier scenes, how does this ending, in which these two depend on each other, create a new sense of hope? The only real joy arrives at the very end, when the Poet and his mermaid creation come together in a mystical realm floating in the stars. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Neumeiers first professional gig was at the Lyric Opera in 1961, where he performed Ruth Pages choreography in the world premiere of Vittorio Gianninis English-language opera The Harvest. He trained at Chicagos revered Stone-Camryn School of Ballet and danced in the company of modern dance legend Sybil Shearer, but has spent the bulk of his life in Europe. Jos Pablo Castro Cuevas, Anais Bueno and ensemble in "The Little Mermaid" by Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera House. 'The Little Mermaid' A gripping tableau of shadows and colors, Neumeier's beautifully haunting interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairytale follows the tormented mermaid heroine on a journey between the divergent worlds of land and seaone utterly complex, the other magnificently serene. At the same time, Yoshihisa Arai (retiring at the end of the 2022-23 season) could hardly be more menacing as the Sea Witch, with his white-and-black face paint and his lurking, crouching and serpentine moves. Lera Auerbachs glorious original score is the icing on this cake in what is likely the biggest, most ambitious of Joffreys projects to date (Christopher Wheeldons Nutcracker notwithstanding). 1920 South Wabash Avenue . The Joffrey Ballet will present 10 performances of "The Little Mermaid" at the Lyric Opera House. Although he has done away with the pantomime and formalism of the great story ballets of the past, the movement, though utterly contemporary, remains rooted in classical ballet, and he achieves a similar level of emotional potency. They leave together. The Joffrey Ballet. Joffrey Box Office 312.386.8905. Holding the Princes unconscious body, the Mermaid, whose frolicsome play has now turned to love, cannot resist kissing him. Sad and despondent, the little Mermaid witnesses the developing affection between the Prince and Princess, and mirroring the Poets soul, her desire for the Prince turns to desperation. With sets and costumes of the grandest scale and an original score by composer Lera Auerbach, this fantastical love story, based on Andersens original and decidedly complex themes, makes its long-awaited Chicago debut. The Prince, passing by, takes pity on this strange creature and carries her on board his ship. This hauntingly beautiful production blends dance, dramatic storytelling and. (Cheryl Mann / HANDOUT). People. For tickets, visit joffrey.org or call (312) 386-8905. This act is all about the Mermaids psychology. As the Mermaid watches in despair, the Prince falls for the Princess. Joffrey Ballet: The Little Mermaid . The Little Mermaid. Yoshihisa Arai and ensemble in "The Little Mermaid" by Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera House. The Joffrey Ballet caps a spectacular 2022-23 season with the long-awaited Chicago premiere of John Neumeiers The Little Mermaid. Those headed to the Lyric Opera House hoping to encounter a certain seafaring ginger princess are in for a surprise. Recommended Stories. It is only then that there is a duet suggesting real connection, as the Poet and Little Mermaid (Victoria Jaiani) each clasp their hands above their bodies in a circular gesture, oscillating back and forth, the Poet then wrapping his circled arms around the Mermaid and resting them on her outstretched arms in the same pose. There is much to praise, starting with her amazing technique and athleticism, which is shown again and again, including a combination in which she peers out from between the legs of the Prince and the rest of her body is flat against his back. Heartrending romance. And yet, they come together, bound by their loss, creator and creation. It turns out to be a raw deal for the Mermaid, for whom the human world shows little kindness or understanding. Adorned in an aquatic-hued bodice and extra-long, silky Hammer pants, Jaiani swims through an undulating, underwater playground with the assistance of three tall men dressed like Samurai. During their farewell, the little Mermaid wonders whether the Prince feels, just for a moment, the depth of her passion. Continue Shopping Item details Date. Stefan Goncalvez handily secures his place as one of Joffreys leading men as the Poet, presumably embodying Andersen himself as the empathetic architect of this story.