Joffrey Ballet Announces Changes to its 2010-11 Stars Season

The Joffrey Ballet is pleased to announce that it will present the Midwest premiere of Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow, also a company premiere for The Joffrey, for its Winter program in the upcoming 2010-2011 Stars season. Hynd originally choreographed the three-act story ballet for The Australian Ballet in 1975, set to John Lanchbery and Alan Abbott's adaptation of Franz Lehár's 1905 romantic operetta The Merry Widow. This evening-length work will replace the previously announced revival of John Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew, and will be performed at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 East Congress Parkway, February 16 - 27, 2011.

"This year, we have an exciting opportunity to celebrate the 80th birthday of renowned choreographer, Ronald Hynd, by presenting his ballet The Merry Widow during our Winter program," said Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater. "This is an opportunity for the Joffrey and the city of Chicago to become familiar with the work of this master choreographer. After the success of Othello last year, I am proud to bring another full-length Chicago premiere to the Joffrey audience. With this unique chance to present The Merry Widow we have decided to postpone our revival of The Taming of the Shrew."

A neoclassical ballet, the scenario and staging for The Merry Widow were created by Sir Robert Helpmann. Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno's exquisite costumes and scenery lay the backdrop for a tale of comedic intrigue, filled with elegant ladies, eligible bachelors and famed can-can dancers. The narrative, set amidst the glamour of turn-of-the-century Paris, revolves around the fictional principality of Pontevedro, which faces financial ruin when it's discovered that its sovereign, the dashing Count Danilo, is actually bankrupt. Count Danilo is persuaded to woo and marry a wealthy, aristocratic widow, the intoxicating Hanna Glawari, to keep her money in Ponteverdo, but revelations about their shared past comically complicate the matter.

The Joffrey Ballet's 2010-2011 season launches with a mixed repertory program of company premieres by three iconic New York choreographers: George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Christopher Wheeldon, October 13-24, 2010, followed by the timeless holiday classic, Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker, December 10-26, 2010. The season will culminate in the Spring with a second mixed repertory program showcasing two World Premieres by Edwaard Liang and Yuri Possokhov, and a Joffrey premiere by Julia Adam, May 4-15, 2011.

Three-program subscriptions, which do not include The Nutcracker, start at $75. Subscriptions are now available online at joffrey.org, by mail (Joffrey Ballet Subscriptions, The Joffrey Ballet, Joffrey Tower, 10 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601); telephone (312) 386-8905, fax (312) 739-0119, or email subscriptions@joffrey.org. Single tickets, priced from $25 to $145, will be available for purchase as of August 2, 2010 at The Joffrey Ballet's official Box Office located in the lobby of 10 E. Randolph Street, as well as the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University box office, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by telephone at 800-982-2787, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the 2010-2011 Season Sponsors and Partners. With special thanks to Abbott Fund and NIB Foundation, co-sponsors of the Stars Season, United Airlines, Official & Exclusive Airline; Weiss Memorial Hospital, Official Healthcare Provider; UBS, Live Music Sponsor; and AthletiCo, Official Provider of Rehabilitation, Fitness and Performance. We also want to acknowledge the Joffrey Stars Season Partners including: Sara Lee Foundation, Groupon, and Whole Foods Market; and The Merry Widow production sponsors, including Nuveen Investments and the Jane Ellen Murray Foundation.

For more information about The Joffrey Ballet and Current Productions please call 312-739-0120 or visit joffrey.org.