Gershwin and The Rolling Stones for Queensland Ballet in 2023
Queensland Ballet is next year bringing back some classics and offering new works, including one featuring the music of The Rolling Stones, writes Phil Brown.
Entertainment
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It’s the work most often requested by ballet fans so Queensland Ballet is bringing back its hit show Strictly Gershwin in 2023.
September 2023 will be blockbuster time according to Queensland Ballet artistic director Li Cunxin and due to popular demand he decided to reboot Derek Deane’s Strictly Gershwin which will return to the Lyric Theatre after its outstanding success in 2016.
Li says he couldn’t wait to bring it back to Brisbane after bowing to pressure from punters.
“It’s the most high demand and frequently asked for ballet,” he says.
“Never mind Swan Lake and all the other amazing ballets, this is one that caught people’s imagination and it is attractive to all sorts of people, not just ballet fans.
“From the modern era to the glamour of the golden age it is a melting pot of classical ballet, singing, tap and ballroom dancing, and the best of George and Ira Gershwin’s sensational music.
“It’s one of the most magnificent productions of all time.
“Queensland Ballet performed it in 2016 to audience and critical acclaim, and, due to popular demand, we can’t wait to present it again in 2023.”
It will feature star soprano Alexandra Flood and resident pianist Daniel Le and will feature classic tunes such as Rhapsody in Blue.
The year will begin with a season of Giselle at QPAC. The company did a regional tour of that ballet this year but the sold out Brisbane season was cancelled due to flood damage to the Playhouse.
Li Cunxin says it will be “sure to send Brisbane hearts aflutter”.
“So beautiful, so beloved, Giselle is the quintessential Romantic era ballet, holding audiences spellbound since its Parisian première more than 150 years ago,” Li says.
“This will give those who missed out in 2022 the chance to finally experience the story of love, betrayal and redemption that this beautiful ballet is renowned for.”
In June the company will bring the swinging ‘60s, the 19th century Australian outback, and an abstract work that is part ballet, part Scandi noir-style to the QPAC Playhouse too with a compelling triple bill, Trilogy.
Cathy Marston’s world première, My Brilliant Career, is based on the acclaimed Australian novel of the same name by Miles Franklin
Christopher Bruce’s Roosteris a celebration of the vibrant 1960s with its music, colour, and rock ‘n’ roll swagger, featuring songs by The Rolling Stones and other pop sensations from the era.
Jack Lister’s wistful and atmospherically cinematic A Brief Nostalgia, a co-production with Birmingham Royal Ballet, is also on the bill.
“I first saw Lister’s My Brief Nostalgia at its London première in 2019,” Li says.
“Since then, it has been a dream of mine to present this stunning production in Brisbane with Queensland Ballet.”
There will be a regional tour of Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a production of The Little Mermaid and the year will end with the usual popular production of The Nutcracker.
Li Cunxin says the impacts of Covid-19 are still reverberating through the arts industry but he was optimistic and 2022 had turned out to be a good year.
“From redeveloping our heritage Thomas Dixon Centre home, to being one of only a handful of ballet companies across the world to secure and present Kenneth MacMillan‘s Manon, 2022 has been a year of immense achievement,” Li says.
“We‘ve set the bar high. As I begin my 11th year as Artistic Director, I am so proud of how much we have grown over the last decade. Now we have settled into our refurbished home, the Company, and also our Academy at its Kelvin Grove home, are feeling the positive effects of our beautiful and innovative purpose-built environments.
The works in our 2023 season reflect the incredible talent and standard of this Company, and I can’t wait to share them with you.”
The season will be officially launched on Monday.
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