Les Troyens

Reviews

Lyric triumphs with its first-ever take on Berlioz’s ‘Trojans’

There is nothing quite like Hector Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” (“The Trojans”) in all of grand opera.The epic music drama — set to the visionary French composer’s own libretto, based on Virgil’s “The Aeneid.”

Helen Pickett’s choreography for the two ballets was beautifully integrated into the action — the first ballet being an orgy of torrid couplings representing the animal heat of Dido and Aeneas’ lovemaking, the second a more tender evocation of their developing relationship.

It’s a rare privilege to experience Berlioz’s masterwork in the theater. You will not get the chance to see and hear “Les Troyens” soon again, certainly not at the lofty international level of the Lyric production.
-John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

Choreographer Helen Pickett’s dances, especially the famous Royal Hunt and Storm, are production highlights. Dancers Shannon Alvis, Leah Barsky, Liam Lacy Burke, Holly Curran, Ethan R. Kirschbaum, Weston Krukow, Demetrius McClendon, Hayley Meier, Jacqueline Stewart, and Maleek Washington perform with poise, precision, and passion in a variety of modes and styles.
– Paul Kuritz, Theater and Film

The passion between Dido and Aeneas is embodied in a lavish, erotically charged ballet sequence choreographed by Helen Pickett.
– Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times