Due to popular demand, The Joffrey Ballet announces an extended weekend of performances for two-time Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Marking the first extension of a Joffrey Ballet production ever, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland now takes place in fourteen performances at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive, from June 5-22, 2025 (originally scheduled to close June 15).
Offering the magic of dance for all ages, The Joffrey Ballet pairs the extension announcement with the launch of a brand-new Discount Family Series package that provides up to 25% savings when families purchase tickets to both Christopher Wheeldon productions this season, including The Nutcracker (December 6-28, 2024) and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Learn more about Christopher Wheeldon here. Tickets are available now at joffrey.org.
The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE says, "Christopher Wheeldon's ballets transport you to enchanting new worlds that are eager to be explored. The Nutcracker is often the entry point for many people beginning their journey. This year, we will offer another opportunity to dive into Wheeldon's unique realm of beauty, curiosity, and delight with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. As a package, The Nutcracker and Alice create portals of inspiration for families to experience together."
The Nutcracker and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will feature live music performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet.
The Nutcracker | December 6–28, 2024
Choreography: ©Christopher Wheeldon | Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
On a magical Christmas Eve, mere months before the opening of Chicago's 1893 World's Fair, Marie and her mother, a sculptress creating the fair's iconic Statue of the Republic, partake in a festive celebration with a surprise visit from the mysterious Great Impresario. That evening, after awakening to an epic battle between Toy Soldiers and The Rat King, Marie is swept away by a Nutcracker Prince on a whirlwind journey to the dreamlike fairgrounds of the World's Columbian Exposition with sprawling attractions represented by countries from around the globe.
Set to Tchaikovsky's classic score, The Nutcracker features a celebrated creative team, including two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer ©Christopher Wheeldon, Tony Award®-nominated set and costume designer Julian Crouch, Caldecott Medal Award-winning author Brian Selznick, Obie and Drama Desk award-winning puppeteer Basil Twist, Tony Award®-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz and Tony Award®-winning projection designer Ben Pearcy.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | June 5–22, 2025
Choreography: ©Christopher Wheeldon | Music: Joby Talbot
Plunge down the rabbit hole into the fantastical world of Wonderland as two-time Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon brings Lewis Carroll's whimsical adventure to the stage with a modern twist. Immersed within Joby Talbot's hallucinatory sound world of sweeping melodies and ticking clocks, with Tony Award®-winning designer Bob Crowley's vibrant stagecraft and puppetry, Wheeldon makes Wonderland wonderfully real in this audience-favorite dance adventure.
Things get curiouser and curiouser as Alice traverses a mysterious realm of instantly recognizable characters: the high-strung Queen of Hearts, the entrancing Caterpillar, and the tap-dancing Mad Hatter at his bizarre tea party. Lose your head in a seamless fusion of humor, eccentricity, and fantasy as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland takes you on a magical trip through the extraordinary.
Tickets and Subscriptions for the Joffrey's 2024–2025 Season Performances
In addition to those above, other works in the 2024-25 season include Cathy Marston's U.S. premiere of Atonement, October 17–27, 2024, a full-length narrative ballet of a tragic love story set against the historical backdrop of 1935 England; and Golden Hour, February 20–March 2, 2025, with original work by Dani Rowe and Yuri Possokhov, accompanied by pieces from frequent Joffrey collaborators Nicolas Blanc and Cathy Marston.
Three-program subscriptions for the fall, winter, and spring season productions, which do not include The Nutcracker, start $111. Discounted Family Series is a two-program subscription beginning at $72. Subscriptions are available for purchase online at joffrey.org, by mail (Joffrey Ballet Subscriptions, The Joffrey Ballet, Joffrey Tower, 10 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601), by telephone at 312.386.8905, by fax at 312.739.0119 or by email at patronservices@joffrey.org
Single tickets for the October, February, and June performances, as well as The Nutcracker, are available by telephone at 312.386.8905 or online at www.joffrey.org. Please visit Joffrey's website for updates.
All performances are subject to change.
About The Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for over 68 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works.
Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron.
The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2024-2025 Season Sponsors: Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, The Florian Fund, Gallagher, Anne L. Kaplan, and Live Music Sponsors: Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges Season Partners: Chicago Athletic Clubs, and Athletico Physical Therapy, official provider of physical therapy for The Joffrey Ballet.
For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit www.joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Courtesy of the Australian Ballet, Credit: Jeff Busby;
The Joffrey Ballet, The Nutcracker, Maxwell Dawe and Nae Kojima, Photo by Todd Rosenberg