Sometimes when reach into the past to resurrect or revive an old story, it doesn’t age well. The subject matter could be problematic, the material divisive, the cultural context lost through the fabric of time. Without proper context we tend to view these historical pieces through a modern lens. We’re quick to criticism, condemn, or simply say the story doesn’t resonate with newer audiences. But once in a great while, we reach back in history and find a piece that doesn’t require adaptations, modernization of the old piece simply adding to the allure of the story. Give that narrative to visionaries and dreamers and you might just get a production that future generations will pull from the archives, not to resurrect or revive, but revere. That one is a great while is here today in Chicago with the Joffrey Ballet’s premiere of Liliom.

Joffrey Company Artists Victoria Jaiani and José Pablo Castro Cuevas. 

Inspired by Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play, Neumeier’s adaptation follows the story of Liliom (performed by José Pablo Castro Cuevas), a charismatic but self-destructive carnival barker (think of the ringmaster-like man enticing people to attend the carnival with an eh ‘come one, come all!’ ‘come on down!’ flare). Liliom falling fiercely in love with Julie (performed by Victoria Jaiani). Their whirlwind romance is eventually unraveled by pride, poverty, rage, and poor choices made under societal pressures. Set amid the dreamlike, faded glamour of an American amusement park during the Great Depression, passion turns toward crime—and ultimately, tragedy. Granted a chance to return to Earth after death, Liliom confronts the consequences of his choices and attempts one final act of grace. What remains is a stark reckoning with guilt and the fragile possibility of redemption.

In the resurrection of this play, and subsequent adaptation of the ballet, conversation, and coverage around Liliom. The history of the origin of the production isn’t all that complicated. The original stage production was written by Hungarian dramatist Ferenc Molnár in the early 1900s. That script became inspiration for Roger and Hammerstein’s 1945 musical Carousel and was made into a major motion picture in 1956 complete with a dreamlike ballet sequence. In 2011 the Hamburg ballet developed an adaptation of Liliom with legendary composer Michel Legrand. Since then no one has staged the ballet. The Joffrey ballet is the first American ballet company to bring the production to life and under the stewardship of choreographer John Neumeier has created a masterpiece that requires no comparisons or ties to its predecessors.

This ballet is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Neumeier and the Joffrey ballet bring a dark yet whimsical artistry to the stage and that duality is carried effortlessly throughout the production; the charismatic yet dark lead coupled with a naïve yet loyal woman, the balloon man symbolizing the ever present death holding colorful balloons that navigate through busy crowds and emerge in dark corners, the amusement park offering escapism and joy juxtaposed against the poverty of the great depression, the soft and classical orchestra contrasted with scatting jazz, the soft and delicate lines of traditional ballets melding seamlessly with the sharp angles of modern contemporary movement, heaven and hell, right and wrong, light and dark, the duality is what draws you in and never lets you go. The choreography, the music (two full bands!) the set designs, the dancing, Liliom is a feast for the eyes and a balm from the banal. The Joffrey Ballet has truly outdone itself and its safe to say it is Neumeier’s most profound artistic endeavors. The emotional depth and theatrical nuance he brings with his staging is articulated and crafted into the smallest details. Everything is intentional, everything is layered and structured and deep, with deeper meanings, foreshadowing, illusion, and mystic that adds to the beauty of this ballet.

There are still some theatergoers that will focus in on a single element of the production and completely write this off. That’s the mistake we can make when we resurrect or reimagine a piece from the past. Hey, even Shakespeare has critics. But when we focus in a single element we dislike, that is there for character and plot development to move the story forward we lose sight of the thousands of other details that make the production unproblematic. Liliom is layered, lovely, and lasting in a way that future generations will look back and admire with awe, not condemnation and judgement. Let’s hope this production does become an annual performance for not just the Joffrey but all ballet companies looking to bring beauty and light into the dark. So come one, come all, and get your tickets for Liliom, now playing at the Lyric Opera (20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago) through September 27th. You don't want to miss this one, folks!