As I arrived at the Regent Theatre on Collins Street on Friday night, with its crowds and lights and red carpet, I could sense I was about to witness something neoteric. And then when The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director, David Hallberg, introduced Oscar, the production based on the life and writings of Oscar Wilde, by emphasising the value of “diverse and inclusive storytelling”, he half-jokingly warned “You might be shocked!”. What surprised me was how much Oscar pulled at my heartstrings long after the performance. Oscar is hugely successful at presenting the audience with a collection of refined characters superbly choreographed, with a balance of contemporary steps, balletic line and theatrical drama riding the tight-wire of a sexually charged narrative.
Friday night was the world debut of Oscar, international choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s newest production commissioned by The Australian Ballet. This bold new ballet is outstanding and leaves a lasting impression. Tony Award-winning choreographer Wheeldon is known for his work in musical theatre and full-length narrative ballets including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and An American in Paris. Rarely do we see Wheeldon dive so deeply into character development and layered emotional pathos as seen in Oscar.
This ballet marks a new direction for The Australian Ballet with Hallberg’s first commission of an original work since his tenure began in 2021. His selection of Oscar reflects modern attitudes about love and sexuality, and embraces the values of a younger generation. This production is modern not only in its story but also in its design, weaving a neo-classical set with neon lights and film projections along with fantastical and historic characters. Oscar’s story takes place in the late 1890’s, depicting Wilde’s rapid rise in popularity with his prolific work and flamboyant personality.
The ballet opens in an 1895 London courtroom narrated by accomplished stage actor Seán O’Shea. We watch the judicial machine devour Oscar, convicting him for “gross indecency” related to homosexual acts and sentencing him to two years of hard labor and solitary confinement.
Act 1 centres on Wilde’s public life as a loving father and husband. Principal Artist Callum Linnane embodies the lead character with conviction. His steps are clean and crisp, making the most of his beautiful bodyline and fluidity of movement. Words pour out of his body rather than his lips while riding on top of the musical notes. Returning Wheeldon collaborator, Joby Talbot, has composed perhaps his most ambitious score, from full orchestral symphonies to a quiet melody on a lone piano, then back to a symphonic pulse supported by an opera singer. Talbot’s score is broad and haunting yet often intimate.
But it is the dancers who bring this story alive. The collection of characters is diverse with several standout solos that illuminate the ballet. Compared to Linnane’s more overt performance, Principal Artist, Sharni Spencer, performs a more subtle and tender character as Wilde’s wife, Constance. She dances in a polite and traditional way but shows her quiet strength in her duets and especially in her pas de trois with Oscar and his love interest Lord Alfred Douglas, danced with intensity and poise by Benjamin Garrett. Principal Dancer, Ako Kondo, performs the role of Nightingale, a character from Wilde’s fairytale The Nightingale and the Rose.Kondo’s effervescent dancing floats to great heights as her character comes to represent the personification of Wilde’s creative soul.
Act 2 is dark and brooding, centering on Wilde’s time in prison. Linnane further developes his character’s tortured spirit and relives an intimate love duet danced with Garrett. This duet is at the heart of the ballet, a taboo relationship and its consequences. Garrett and Linanne partner each other with lifts that are tender and powerful. Their dance is both sad and beautiful. Dark overtures roll throughout Act 2 with scenes taken from Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Adam Elmes dances the role of Dorian Gray to perfection with his dagger-like feet and elongated lines. He embodies vanity and selfishness, symbolising Wilde’s arrogance and passion for aesthetic beauty over substance.
Other memorable dancers include Marcus Morelli and Cameron Holmes, dressed in drag and exhibiting scene-stealing athleticism. Their duet starts out light-hearted and comical but devolves into debauchery. Jill Ogai shines in a choreographically challenging and committed portrayal of actress Ellen Terry. With Benedicte Bemet as Sarah Bernhardt and Mia Heathcote as Lillie Langtry, the trio pay tribute to dance pioneer Loie Fuller, beautifully portrayed with illuminated silk fabrics representing the wings of the Nightingale.
The biggest accolade goes to Linnane, who carries the story and commands a sincere presence every time he enters the stage. His character is at once despicable and sympathetic, generating a fresh perspective in every scene. Wheeldon’s choreography is intricate and difficult but Linnane, and others, execute the moves with a natural fluidity. His ability to handle the acting demands of Wilde’s complex character is compelling. Linnane’s tortured solos in the second act bring vulnerability and honesty to a man known as much for his ostentatious personality as for his literary works.
The Australian Ballet is performing in the Regent Theatre for the next three years while the State Theatre is being renovated. Known as “The Palace of the People”, the Regent was built in 1929 with its Rococo-inspired interior beautifully complementing designer Jean-Marc Puissant’s dynamic sets and colour pallet. The effect is a seamless transition from audience to stage. Puissant’s costumes are rich in design but remain sombre in colouring and fabric. Conductor Jonathan Lo leads the Orchestra Victoria through the intricate score on an elevated platform allowing the audience to watch the musicians play.
Before entering the theatre on opening night, I wondered if Oscar Wilde’s story would have broad enough appeal for a full-length ballet. With its complicated story and modern themes Oscar transcends its place in history and brings emotional artistry to a timeless tale of love and suffering. The ballet ends with a thoughtful epilogue narrated again by O’Shea, who describes Wilde’s brief life and untimely death after release from prison. Words and writings, projected on the scrim and set, suggest how much more art Wilde could have shared had his life not been cut short. Like many in the audience I suspect, I was deeply moved by this tragedy of a literary genius whose spirit still haunts us.
Photo credit: Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
Oscar runs through 24 September at the Regent Theatre Melbourne before opening in Sydney from 8 -23 November, 2024
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Paris Wages reviewed “Oscar”, presented by The Australian Ballet at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne on Friday, September 13, 2024.
