Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside, Gillian Murphy and Thomas Forster to Lead World Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Harlequinade on Monday, June 4

Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside in Harlequinade. Photo: Alan Alejandro.

Casting for the third and fourth weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The first of seven performances of La Bayadère begins Tuesday, May 29 featuring Hee Seo as Nikiya, Guest Artist Kimin Kim as Solor and Gillian Murphy as Gamzatti. The matinee on Wednesday, May 30 will feature debuts by Devon Teuscher (Nikiya), Joo Won Ahn (Solor) and Christine Shevchenko (Gamzatti).  Other debuts for the week include Sarah Lane as Nikiya and Skylar Brandt as Gamzatti on Wednesday evening, May 30, Isabella Boylston as Nikiya and Jeffrey Cirio as Solor on Thursday, May 31 and Cassandra Trenary as Gamzatti at the matinee on Saturday, June 2.  Choreographed by Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa, La Bayadère is set to music by Ludwig Minkus, specially arranged by John Lanchbery, and features scenery by PierLuigi Samaritani, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by Toshiro Ogawa.  The full‑length La Bayadère received its World Premiere by the Imperial Ballet at the Bolshoi Kamenny in St. Petersburg on February 4, 1877.  La Bayadère, Act II (The Kingdom of the Shades) was first performed in the West by the Leningrad‑Kirov Ballet in 196l.  Natalia Makarova first staged The Kingdom of the Shades scene for American Ballet Theatre in 1974 and it received its premiere at the State Theater in New York City on July 3 of that year, danced by Cynthia Gregory as Nikiya and Ivan Nagy as Solor. Makarova subsequently produced and choreographed the complete version of La Bayadère (in three acts) for American Ballet Theatre, which received its World Premiere on May 21, 1980 with Natalia Makarova as Nikiya, Anthony Dowell as Solor and Cynthia Harvey as Gamzatti.

An all-new production of Harlequinade, staged by Alexei Ratmansky after the original by Marius Petipa, will be given its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on Monday, June 4, led by Isabella Boylston as Columbine, James Whiteside as Harlequin, Gillian Murphy as Pierrette and Thomas Forster as Pierrot.  Sarah Lane, Jeffrey Cirio, Stella Abrera and David Hallberg will lead the ballet for the first time on Tuesday, June 5.  On Wednesday, June 6, the ballet will feature debuts by Misty Copeland (Columbine), Daniil Simkin (Harlequin), Hee Seo (Pierrette) and Alexandre Hammoudi (Pierrot) at the matinee, and by Cassandra Trenary (Columbine), Gabe Stone Shayer (Harlequin), Christine Shevchenko (Pierrette) and Blaine Hoven (Pierrot) at the evening performance.  A comic ballet in two-acts, Harlequinade is set to music by Riccardo Drigo and first premiered in 1900 in St. Petersburg, Russia.  The new production will feature sets and costumes by Robert Perdziola and lighting by Brad Fields.  A co-production with The Australian Ballet, Harlequinade is ABT’s first full-length production of the ballet.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $22, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000.  The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64^th and 65^th streets in New York City.  For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.

Complete casting follows.

La Bayadère is generously supported by an endowed gift from Drs. Philip and Marjorie Gerdine. In loving memory of Caroline Newhouse. 

Leadership support for The Ratmansky Project, including Harlequinade and Whipped Cream, has been generously provided by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, and The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund. Additional major support has been provided by Linda Allard, Sarah Arison, Lisa and Dick Cashin, Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation, William J. Gillespie, Brian J. Heidtke, The Marjorie S. Isaac/Irving H. Isaac Fund, Howard S. Paley, the Pearl T. Maxim Trust, Bernard L. Schwartz, Melissa A. Smith, The H. Russell Smith Foundation/Stewart R. Smith and Robin A. Ferracone, the Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation and Sutton Stracke.  ABT gratefully acknowledges Dr. Joan Taub Ades, Steven Backes, Mark Casey and Carrie Gaiser Casey, Linda and Martin Fell, Vicki Netter Fitzgerald, The Abraham Fuchsberg Family Foundation, Robin Chemers Neustein, John Leland Sills and Elizabeth Papadopoulos-Sills, and Sedgwick Ward for their generosity.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

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