In Ballet To Broadway: Wheeldon Works, The Royal Ballet’s celebration of Christopher Wheeldon emphasises his range – balletic through to the pizazz of An American in Paris. In this programme, it’s his steps away from ballet that make the strongest impression, from living-room intimacies to Broadway dazzle.
Fool’s Paradise, created in 2007, has the intricate, entwined partnering that is often characteristic of his ballets. It’s poised and glossy but lacks the depth of Wheeldon’s best ballet work. Still, moments stand out: Marianela Nuñez and Lukas B Brændsrød are hypnotic in a sequence of slipsliding steps, while the final tableau pulls the whole ballet into focus.
