A PORTRAIT PAINTED IN DANCE

A luminous ballet of love and loss

The Australian Ballet at Cal Performances

The Australian Ballet, founded in 1962, is now the largest classical ballet company in Australia. The company recently toured North America, making only two stops, in Berkeley and New York City. At Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus, this amazing and gifted troupe presented Oscar, a ballet retelling the romantic and tragic story of the 19th-century Irish author, poet, and humorist, Oscar Wilde. His most celebrated work is the gothic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, but he also wrote several plays and children’s stories. He is also remembered for his 1895 imprisonment following his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas.

The Australian Ballet at Cal Performances

This two-act ballet takes a unique approach. Act I introduces us to Wilde, living in Victorian England as a somewhat flamboyant celebrity, particularly in literary circles. We see his family life with his wife Constance and two sons. However, the central story focuses on his relationship with the young and handsome Douglas, affectionately known as “Bosie.” The staging creates a dreamlike effect supposedly taken from his works of fiction.

The Australian Ballet at Cal Performances

Act II is about the aftermath of his affair with Bosie and other men. Wilde is imprisoned, and his reputation is ruined. There, he reflects on his actions in what he believes is his artistic expression versus society’s intolerance of homosexuality.

The Australian Ballet at Cal Performances

Christopher Wheeldon presents a great visual version of this story. Set to a luminous score by Joby Talbot, the ballet uses beautiful formations and expressive movement to reflect the music’s emotional highs and lows.

The Australian Ballet at Cal Performances

The dancers, adorned in brand-new, vivid costumes, shimmered in the golden light that seemed to simulate the changing light of a sunset. The principal dancers bring fluidity and warmth to Wheeldon’s partnering. Watching the couples dance with seemingly effortless grace is a pleasure. The ways Wheeldon incorporates The Picture of Dorian Gray and “The Nightingale and the Rose” in telling Wilde’s story are original and clever. The Australian Ballet’s unique interpretation is visually stunning. This was a special and memorable night of ballet. I hope that they return sometime soon.

The Australian Ballet at Cal Performances

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photos by Kristen Loken

Oscar
The Australian Ballet
presented by Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft Way at Dana Street in Berkeley
September 25–27, 2026
for future performances, visit The Australian Ballet and Cal Performances

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