Wheeldon's CINDERELLA Opens SF Ballet's 2020 Repertory Season, Tickets On Sale Now

Tickets are on sale now to San Francisco Ballet's 2020 Repertory Season, starting January 21 with Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella, set to Sergei Prokofiev's score, at the War Memorial Opera House. The 2020 Season continues through May with two additional story ballets: George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream (March 6-15) and Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet (May 1-10). Tickets to the 2020 Repertory Season start at $29.

An "intelligently plotted, alluringly appointed" (San Francisco Chronicle) and "breathtaking" (The New York Times) take on the iconic fairytale, Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella offers no fairy godmother or clock striking midnight. Instead, his Cinderella gives depth to its characters by combining elements of both the Charles Perrault and Brothers Grimm versions of the story. Wheeldon's Cinderella is in control of her destiny, rather than a passive heroine, and the Prince is given a backstory. Moments of humor abound throughout the ballet, notably among Cinderella's drunken stepmother and the slapstick affairs of her stepsisters.

In his choreography, Wheeldon, who received a Tony Award for his work on An American in Paris, offers a "great show of high-flying steps" (The New Yorker), matched in spectacle by the set and costume designs by Julian Crouch, of The Metropolitan Opera renown, and San Francisco-native puppeteer Basil Twist. Cinderella's many magical elements include a billowing tree, big-headed creatures, a golden carriage pulled by horses, flying chairs, and a stage illuminated by chandeliers, in addition to the production's staggering 197 roles and 370 costumes, among which is Cinderella's dazzling gold gown, detailed with computer-printed feathers. Gnomes, princesses, birds, gnarled horse chestnuts, and other fantastical beasts of the enchanted kingdom are all brought to life in this production, which is set to Prokofiev's famous score.

One of the most in-demand dancemakers working today, Christopher Wheeldon is Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet and formerly a resident choreographer of New York City Ballet. The prolific choreographer has become a frequent presence at SF Ballet over the last two decades-most recently, he created Bound To© for 2018's Unbound festival-and a total of 13 of his ballets are in the repertory. Cinderella was his eighth commission and first full-length work for the Company and received its U.S. premiere at SF Ballet in 2013. A co-production by SF Ballet and Dutch National Ballet, Cinderella's choreography was created in an unusual way-Wheeldon created the choreography part in San Francisco, and part in Holland. SF Ballet's newly-appointed soloist Sasha Mukhamedov danced in Cinderella's world premiere at Dutch National Ballet in 2012, a performance which was celebrated as "a triumph of storytelling and stage design firmly in touch with the 21st century" (Financial Times).