The Joffrey Ballet opens its 68th season with the highly anticipated Chicago premiere of Liam Scarlett’s critically acclaimed interpretation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
A gothic masterpiece set in the dawn of modern science, Scarlett’s production of the 19th-century science fiction novel is a visceral, profoundly emotional tale of life, death, love, and identity. Set to an original sweeping score by Lowell Liebermann and immersed within the striking stage design by world-renowned artist of premiere ballets and operas John Macfarlane, this must-see Chicago premiere is one of the most innovative works of dance today.
Frankenstein will be presented at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, in ten performances only, from October 12 – 22, 2023.
Frankenstein takes the audience on a captivating journey through scientist Victor Frankenstein’s ambitious plan to animate a patchwork of lifeless body parts, setting in motion a detrimental chain of fateful events. John Mcfarlane’s cinematic design transports audiences to Shelley’s era with stunning period-piece costumes set in a dramatically lit, circular anatomy theater, combined with electrifying pyrotechnics and expertly rendered special effects makeup that transform previous notions of horror into an allegory of the human condition.
Shelley’s “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus” captivated popular audiences after its publication in 1818, with subsequent adaptations to numerous mediums and pop culture tropes that have stood the test of time. Scarlett’s virtuosic choreography and Liebermann’s theatrical score come together to capture the existential conditions of a burgeoning modern society, with its associated feelings of otherness and desire for acceptance in a rapidly changing world.
“The Chicago premiere of Liam Scarlett’s Frankenstein is storytelling at the grandest scale, but with delicate emotion rendered in fine detail,” says The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE “Frankenstein suggests that otherness — and subsequent acceptance of the darkest parts of ourselves — is part of the human experience. We honor the memory of Scarlett, whose artistry in reimagining of Shelley’s epic story takes form through the movement of the Joffrey’s electrifying dancers, a pulsating original score, and a fascinating set design.”
“As we embark on our 68th season at the Joffrey, we are propelled by an unyielding commitment to artistic exploration. Under the visionary leadership of Ashley Wheater, we have the privilege of sharing Liam Scarlett’s masterwork of Frankenstein with Chicago,” adds President and CEO Greg Cameron. “Today, this creative ambition extends past the stage into all aspects of our organization. From nurturing the next generation of dancers in the Joffrey Academy, sharing dance throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods with our Community Engagement programs, to our newly renovated facilities fostering a thriving environment across all of our departments, the Joffrey’s impact in the arts resonates within every corner of our city.”
