If someone told you they were going to ship a giant tree across the ocean and then tow it across the United States, you may not only think it was crazy – you might think it was impossible. But that’s exactly what American Ballet Theatre has done for the set of The Winter’s Tale, coming to The Metropolitan Opera House July 1 – 5 for ABT’s Summer season.

Based on the Shakespeare play of the same name, and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, The Winter’s Tale follows both the tragic and hopeful events that unfold when King Polixenes of Bohemia and his wife, Hermione, visit his jealousy-stricken friend, King Leontes of Sicilia. Alternating between the rulers’ two kingdoms, the ballet’s joyful second act in Bohemia takes place beneath a giant tree. With the roots exposed and its branches covered in ornaments, the tree is made to look like it also dances in its own way. It is a spectacular set piece that not only serves as King Polixenes’s hiding place in the story, but has become a symbol of the entire ballet.

Before ABT’s production of The Winter’s Tale opened at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California in April, the show was built in Vienna, Austria. Created by award-winning designer Bob Crowley, the set was shipped to the U.S. in seven sea containers for ABT’s production at Segerstrom. Now, the ballet is traveling to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for ABT’s Summer season, with the massive tree taking up the entirety of a 53-foot trailer.

Made of a steel skeleton covered in sculpted foam, the tree has to be broken into five large pieces and several smaller branches in order to make the trip. It then takes two hours to reassemble and about 14 people to push on stage.

The feat did not go unnoticed during ABT’s run of The Winter’s Tale in Costa Mesa.

“Bob Crowley’s set feels alive,” performing arts critic Michael M. Landman-Karny said in his review of the show. “…The tree doesn’t just decorate the space. It changes it, speaking to time, to growth, to the things we carry and let go. This isn’t merely storytelling through dance. It burrows deep, settling somewhere between your ribs.”

If seeing the incredible set piece isn’t enough of a reason to see The Winter’s Tale, then there’s plenty more for everyone. The choreography by two-time Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon, score by Joby Talbot, silk effects by Basil Twist, and costumes also designed by Crowley have all received astounding praise. All, of course, with ABT’s world-class dancers at center stage.

See ABT’s The Winter’s Tale for yourself at The Metropolitan Opera House July 1 – 5. Tickets are on sale now.