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Mr. Worldly Wise

Mukhamedov and company performing in Act III. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Royal Ballet dancers in dress rehearsal.

Company performs in Act I. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Mukhamedov in performance. Photo by Leslie E. Spatt.

Wildor performing in Act I. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Cassidy, Bull, Benjamin and Trevitt performing in Act II. and Photo by Bill Cooper.

Bussell performing in Act II. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Benjamin and Bull performing in Act II. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Kumakawa in Act I performance. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Dancers performing in Act III. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Kumakawa and Mukhamedov performing in Act I. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Premiere

  • Date

    9 December 1995

  • Location

    London, United Kingdom

Production

  • Choreographer

    Twyla Tharp

  • Composer

    Gioachino Rossini

  • Live Music by

    The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

  • Musicians

    Philip Gammon (piano), John Brown (violin), Yasuo Ichinose (violin), George Ives (cello), John Bakewell (bass)

  • Singers

    Rodney Gibson, Patricia Cameron, Susan Felver, Andrea Hazell, Sian Meiner, Allison Rayner, Catherine Richardson, Donaldson Bell, Jonathan Coad, Neil Griffiths, Edward Parry, Philip Slane

  • Lighting Designer

    Peter Mumford

  • Costume and Scenic Designer

    David Roger

Dancers

Principals

 

Soloists
Leanne Benjamin, Deborah Bull

Stuart Cassidy, William Trevitt

 

Chorus
Christina McDermott, Sarah Wildor, Zenaida Yanowsky

Peter Abegglen, Liu Shi Ning, Michael Nunn

 

Ensemble
Natalie Bowhill, Chloe Davies, Michelle Davis, Mara Galeazzi, Natalie McCann, Laura Morera, Nicole Ransley, Gillian Revie, Rachael Whitbread

Ricardo Cervera, Matthew Dibble, Hubert Essakow, Bennet Gartside, Jonathan Howells, Alastair Marriott, Iñaki Urlezaga, Thomas Whitehead

 

 

 

  • Number of Dancers

    30

  • Runtime

    01:27:32

Description

Mr. Worldly Wise was commissioned by Sir Anthony Dowell, artistic director of London’s Royal Ballet. The work featured company stars Irek Mukhamedov, Tetsuya Kumakawa and Darcey Bussell in the principal roles. The soloists and ensemble completed a world-class cast. Sets and costumes designed and executed by David Roger, create a surreal environment for Tharp’s first three-act ballet.

 

The plot combines biographical details from the life of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini and the allegory “Pilgrim’s Progress.” The ballet’s title character, danced by Mukhamedov, is ill-tempered, burdened by pride and the heavy expectations that come with success. He lugs a bag behind him – a representation of his spiritual burden. When the bag is opened, Kumakawa emerges from it, Mukhamedov’s protégé.

 

Bussell enters and leads the two men into a dream, filled with a host of fanciful characters. When Mukhamedov returns from the vision to his own world for Act III, he is transformed – humbled and at peace. Mukhamedov dances with Bussell until she returns to her dream world, leaving Mukhamedov alone and searching throughout his community, while Kumakawa is left to shoulder the bag with a reprise of the beginning characters.

 

Past Performances

The Royal Ballet

Mr. Worldly Wise (premiere) | The Royal Ballet

Covent Garden

London, United Kingdom

December 9 1995 Premiere

The Royal Ballet

Mr. Worldly Wise | The Royal Ballet

Covent Garden

London, United Kingdom

January 3 1996 Repertory

The Royal Ballet

Mr. Worldly Wise | The Royal Ballet

Covent Garden

London, United Kingdom

July 30 1996 Repertory

The Royal Ballet

Mr. Worldly Wise | The Royal Ballet

Sadler's Wells

London, United Kingdom

October 23 1998 Repertory

The Royal Ballet

Mr. Worldly Wise | The Royal Ballet

Covent Garden

London, United Kingdom

December 1 1999 Repertory

  • 1995
  • 1996
  • 1998
  • 1999