PicksInSix Review: Liliom - The Joffrey Ballet

‘Liliom’ - Striking, Surreal and Exceptionally Human!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

The Joffrey Ballet opened its 2026-2027 season on Thursday night with a captivating and evocative performance of John Neumeier’s “Liliom.” Known for its fantastical surrealism and emotional depth, Neumeier created this narrative ballet for the Hamburg Ballet in 2011 drawing inspiration from Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play of the same title. “Liliom” also became the basis for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s second musical “Carousel.” Who knew such a tragic story of love, loss, redemption, generational trauma and domestic violence would fuel multiple theatrical adaptations!

The Joffrey Ballet’s ten-day run of “Liliom” marks both the Chicago premiere and the first time a North American ballet company has performed the full-length piece. While all aspects of the premiere dazzled at the Lyric Opera House on Thursday, the live music performed on stage by the 16-piece Rob Parton’s Jazztech Big Band in concert with the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Koo, stood out as uniquely invigorating. Together the on-stage band and the orchestra create a layered interplay of classical, jazzy and almost circusy-type music that well suits the dramatics of a complex ballet staged at a Depression-era American amusement park. The sweeping score often feels cinematic which makes sense given French composer Michel Legrand, known for his work on film scores, composed the music.

The set design by Ferdinand Wögerbauer and lighting design by Jim French and Neumeier also deserve high praise. At nearly every moment of the performance, one could snap a photo and capture a stunning visual conveying one of the many complicated themes of “Liliom.” Take for example lovers on an isolated bench with a single balloon, devils sitting at a long-table in heaven, a man with heaps of balloons slowly inching toward a framed cloudscape, and the coming and going of a star-lit sky. These visuals invite you to grapple with things like life’s purpose, moral ambivalence, grief and the courage of vulnerability. As the backdrop of a physically demanding and at-times confusing ballet, the set also provides an imaginative surrounding where the plot line matters less than the visceral experience.

And now, the dancing. What a brilliant performance by the Joffrey company that showcases such versatility in storytelling and the artform itself.  “Liliom” tells the story of a carnival barker and self-saboteur, Liliom (José Pablo Castro Cuevas), who falls in love with Julie (Victoria Jaiani) and ultimately meets his demise after turning to crime when he cannot obtain “good, honest work” during the Great Depression. Along this journey, he also abuses Julie, leaves her to raise their son alone and, in my opinion, totally botches his one chance of redemption when allowed to return to Earth. Castro Cuevas dances this title role with great charisma and strength spending nearly the entire runtime on stage. He performs with exquisite control, sensuality and grit to portray Liliom’s multifaceted character.

I also particularly enjoyed the sexy duets of Liliom and Mrs. Muskat (Amanda Assucena) because the artists conveyed so much passion, chemistry and heat in ways I have not seen before in a ballet. Relatedly, the choreography features sharp, sometimes unsettling movements, to portray struggles, manual labor and fighting along with more syncopated rhythms and Broadway-like flair to animate the carnival experience. The numbers feel a bit busy at times, but ultimately, this theatrical style, blended with classical ballet techniques, lends itself to a distinctive danced emotion in each scene and through each character. One of the best moments of “Liliom” features all the jobless men on stage dancing through their frustration. Jaiani’s beautifully poised and deeply poetic performance as Julie also embodies a vast array of feelings. Most notably, her magnificent portrayal of grief after Liliom dies. Through dance, Julie and Liliom’s son Louis (Reed Henry) act out with the same anger as Liliom, showing the devastating cycles of violence, and the Balloon Man’s (Evan Boersma) steadfast and expertly controlled movements guide us through it all.

One of the many draws of “Liliom” is that it effortlessly demonstrates how dance can communicate deep emotion. The company does a remarkable job with visual storytelling through leaps, gestures, postures and pairings. Dance, as a universal language, takes us places, and trust that wherever the Joffrey Ballet wants to take you through the exquisite movement, striking set design and lush soundtrack of “Liliom,” it will absolutely be worth it.

GUEST CONTRIBUTROR | KAITLYN LINSNER serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Utilities Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

PHOTO|Cheryl Mann

The Joffrey Ballet
presents
Liliom
Lyric Opera House
20 N Wacker Drive
through September 27, 2026

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PicksInSix Review: Brokeback Mountain - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

‘BROKEBACK’ – There Is Never Enough Time.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The North American premiere of Ashley Robinson’s "Brokeback Mountain" now playing in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Courtyard Theater, directed by Jonathan Butterell, stays meticulously true to Annie Proulx’s short story that appeared in the New Yorker in 1997, a publishing event that transformed the mainstream platform for gay and queer storytelling forever after. Eight years would pass before Ang Lee’s 2005 film adaptation starring the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal which was nominated for eight Academy Awards winning three for Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Ang’s direction.

As much a tragic gay love story as it is a reflection of the consequences of the chilling homophobic mores of the times, "Brokeback Mountain" is set in 1963 in the American West and follows the 20-year affair of two men, living separate, unfulfilled lives except for their regular liaisons that began on Brokeback when they were tending a sheep herd. It is a fragile and fraught long-range plan because, as one prophetically mourns, "There is never enough time."

The two men—Ennis Del Mar (Harrison Ball) and Jack Twist (Jack Cameron Kay—share troubled histories. Jack aspires for a career in the rodeo and makes ends meet picking up what work he can along the way. Abused and grossly humiliated as a child, when Jack meets Ennis he sees and feels an irresistible attraction for the introspective camp cook who is engaged to be married and appears to be conflicted on many levels. Ennis is under-employed as a cook and aspires for a farm and spread of his own. With their shared futures and the isolation of the situation, they forge a meaningful connection and one thing leads to another on Brokeback. The story then jumps forward four years when the two reunite at Jack’s urging. As the years roll on, it becomes less likely that a life together will dispel Ennis's fear of the kind of retribution his father was capable of when he was growing up. Ball and Kay give fine performances, with Ball’s reserved, guilt-ridden demeanor seeming to melt away with Kay’s carefree, eager, yet vulnerable, insistence keeping some lingering hope alive that things might work out.

Ennis's wife Alma Del Mar (a powerful and moving performance by Cordelia Dewdney) and Joe Aguirre (Thomas Cox), the sheep rancher, hold the key to the evolving drama of the story. Both discover the affair in different ways and impart as much to Ennis and Jack. It is Jack who becomes increasingly frustrated by Ennis's indifference, even as it is Jack's persistence that drives every decision Ennis makes to the point that he is stuck in a life that he largely does not want.

As for the musical elements of the show, if you are expecting a back-in-the-saddle-again-type soundtrack to these themes you would be better served to know that this is a play that incorporates Dan Gillespie Sells melodic score as a transitional element with folktale messaging. It is lyrical, performed by a small onstage band with pieces that are quite beautifully sung by the Balladeer (Kat Eggleston), who also plays a significant role at one point on stage. Cox covers multiple roles and Alina Jenine Taber rounds out the cast as Jack’s ex-wife Lureen.

Tom Pye’s multi-functional scenic design, set at a sloped angle to the Courtyard thrust stage, suggests the mountain scenes with real fire and weather elements and transforms into various other interiors. David Finn’s pastoral lighting and a somber soundscape by Christopher Shutt fit the pace that director Butterell has established for the weighty 90-minute production that has already been extended through June 28 with an additional performance added on June 16.

PHOTO|Kyle Flubacker

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
North American Premiere
Brokeback Mountain
Courtyard Theater
Navy Pier
Extended through June 28, 2026

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