Oscar, The Australian Ballet
Callum Linnane (Oscar Wilde), Sharni Spencer (Constance Wilde), Joseph Caley (Robbie Ross) in Oscar by Christopher Wheeldon for The Australian Ballet © Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
The last major ballet work to depict a same-sex relationship was Woolf Works by Wayne McGregor. A small section of Act 1 portrays the romantic relationship between Viginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, with the two women kissing briefly on stage. This work premiered nearly ten years ago at the Royal Opera House in 2015, and since then the ballet world has continued to lack a narrative ballet focussed entirely around a same-sex relationship. Until now.
Christopher Wheeldon is no stranger to narrative ballets, with three epics for The Royal Ballet under his belt (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Winter’s Tale, Like Water for Chocolate). But it was his friend, retired dancer and Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, David Hallberg, who made the call that resulted in a narrative ballet about Oscar Wilde.
As well as being an in-demand ballet choreographer, Wheeldon has won Tony awards for his work on Broadway, and this work was evident in this piece. Each act opened with a narrator (Seán O’Shea) introducing the main characters and getting us up to speed on Oscar’s story. With a complex life to recount, and one not everyone will be deeply familiar with, this was an appreciated addition not to be sniffed at.
Ako Kondo (The Nightingale) in Oscar by Christopher Wheeldon for The Australian Ballet © Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The seeds of this work were excellent. The choreography was compelling, the costumes and sets sumptuous, but I found Joby Talbot’s fantasy-tinged score to be out of place in Victorian England, lacking nuance to aid the story telling and indistinguishable from his other collaborations with Wheeldon (close your eyes and you could have easily been listening to his Alice score).
However, it was the over-complexity of the story that let it down most. Wheeldon chose to tell Oscar’s tale from his prison cell, having him reflect on his career, exploration of his sexuality and tumultuous relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas which led to his sentencing. On top of that, his mental state was personified through additional characters: The Nightingale (from his work The Nightingale and The Rose) in Act 1 as he discovered his sexuality, and Dorian Grey (Wilde is the decaying painting) as he became more distressed by prison life, deteriorating health and the events that led to his incarceration. The inconsistent appearances of these two characters and the blurring of fiction and reality made for frustrating watching and muddied the narrative instead of adding to its emotional depth.
It’s a shame because during moments of simpler narrative, the work is beautiful.
Benjamin Garrett (Bosie) and Callum Linnane (Oscar Wilde) in Oscar by Christopher Wheeldon for The Australian Ballet © Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
Scenes depicting Wilde’s first same-sex relationship (with Robbie Ross) are movingly tender. At first he flinches from Ross’ advances, uncomfortable with the emotions he’s experiencing and clinging more tightly to his wife Constance. As he becomes comfortable with his feelings, they capture small moments together when Constance looks away during a pas de trois (dance for three). Later on, as his mental health deteriorates and he finds himself in pain with tinnitus, Wilde (Callum Linnane) bashes his ear in agony and clings to his prison bed in a deeply moving solo.
While this may be the first ballet to focus entirely around LGBTQ+ relationships, I’m pleased to say we won’t have to wait another 9 years for the next. Northern Ballet recently announced their new ballet based on the life of Anne Lister, made famous through the TV show Gentleman Jack. The ballet world’s revolution in presenting more diverse stories has officially (hopefully, finally) begun.
★★★
Oscar by Christopher Wheeldon, for The Australian Ballet
BalletTV (Australian Ballet’s streaming service) / 1 December 2024
Rented with my own money
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