FROM PAGE TO PAS DE DEUX

Possokhov’s adaptation captures
Pushkin’s aching tale of missed
chances and irreversible choices

José Pablo Castro Cuevas as Eugene Onegin in Joffrey Ballet’s Chicago premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s new narrative ballet

Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin is so deeply embedded in Russian culture that generations of schoolchildren have memorized passages from it. Yet familiarity is no guarantee against heartbreak. Yuri Possokhov‘s ballet adaptation—a co-production with San Francisco Ballet now receiving its Chicago premiere with The Joffrey Ballet—distills Pushkin’s sprawling novel into a visually striking and emotionally direct story of love offered, rejected, and regretted too late.

Anais Bueno and Xavier Núñez

At its center is Eugene Onegin (José Pablo Castro Cuevas), an aristocrat whose cool detachment masquerades as sophistication. Visiting the countryside with his friend Vladimir Lensky (Xavier Núñez), he encounters two sisters: the dreamy, introspective Tatiana Larina (Victoria Jaiani), and the vivacious Olga Larina (Anais Bueno). Tatiana falls deeply in love and pours her feelings into a letter that becomes one of the ballet’s most affecting sequences. Onegin dismisses her devotion with casual cruelty, setting into motion a chain of events that will haunt him for years.

Victoria Jaiani

Possokhov’s choreography excels at revealing what the characters cannot say aloud. Rather than merely illustrating the plot, the movement exposes shifting loyalties, hidden desires, and emotional wounds that deepen with every encounter. Cuevas brings an appealing ambiguity to Onegin. His elegant carriage and polished manners never quite conceal the arrogance beneath them, making his eventual remorse feel earned rather than imposed by the story.

Xavier Núñez

Núñez gives Lensky an openness that makes his fate especially painful. Where Onegin guards himself behind indifference, Lensky wears every emotion plainly. Jaiani’s Tatiana emerges as the ballet’s emotional center. Her yearning is palpable, but so is her intelligence and self-possession. Even in moments of vulnerability, she never appears fragile. Bueno’s Olga radiates youthful exuberance, often seeming blissfully unaware of the consequences her flirtations may unleash.

Dylan Gutierrez and Victoria Jaiani

The supporting performances are equally strong. Christine Rocas lends warmth and authority as the sisters’ mother, Praskovya Larina, while Lauren Quinn brings tenderness to Filipyevna, Tatiana’s devoted nanny. Paolo Randon provides a steady presence as Zaretsky, and Dylan Gutierrez makes a dignified impression as Prince Gremin, whose relationship with Tatiana ultimately forces Onegin to confront the cost of his earlier choices.

The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble

Possokhov and librettist Valeriy Pecheykin streamline Pushkin’s narrative through recurring visual motifs, seasonal imagery, and projected excerpts from the novel. Dancers representing Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter sweep across the stage, marking the passage of time while underscoring the inevitability of change. Finn Ross‘s projections and Tom Pye‘s scenic design create a fluid cinematic quality, while Tim Yip‘s costumes use color with remarkable precision, reflecting both the changing seasons and the evolving emotional landscape.

Victoria Jaiani

Equally important is Ilya Demutsky‘s original score, performed live by members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra under Scott Speck. The music gives the ballet a contemporary pulse while remaining rooted in the story’s Romantic spirit. Combined with Possokhov’s choreography, it creates an atmosphere that feels both timeless and immediate.

José Pablo Castro Cuevas and Victoria Jaiani

By the final scenes, the ballet’s central question lingers long after the curtain falls: What happens when we recognize love only after it has slipped beyond our reach? Possokhov’s answer is unsparing. Regret may bring wisdom, but it rarely offers a second chance.

Don’t be like Onegin and live to regret missing out on something truly beautiful.

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photos by Cheryl Mann

Eugene Onegin
The Joffrey Ballet
a co-producti0n with San Francisco Ballet
Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Upper Wacker Dr. in Chicago
Thu & Fri at 7:30; Sat at 2 & 7:30; Sun at 2
ends on June 14, 2026
for tickets, call 312.386.8905 or visit Joffrey Ballet

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago

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