The National Theatre Ballet will soon unveil Liliom, a powerful new production by acclaimed American choreographer John Neumeier, known for transforming human emotions into movement.

The ballet will premiere at Prague’s State Opera on October 23 and 24, marking its first Czech performance.

After the Prague success of A Streetcar Named Desire, Neumeier returns to the Czech capital with another deeply emotional piece. Inspired by Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play and the later musical adaptation Carousel by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Liliom explores love, guilt, and the possibility of redemption.

“When I return to a work, as I am now with Liliom in Prague, I have to fall in love with it all over again,” Neumeier said ahead of the premiere.

Get your ticket here.

A Story of Love, Violence, and Hope

The ballet follows Liliom, a charismatic but self-destructive carousel operator, and Julie, a young woman who falls in love with him despite his flaws. Struggling with poverty and pride, Liliom’s frustration spirals into violence and despair. When he learns he is to become a father, his attempt to secure a better future ends tragically in a failed robbery and suicide.

From there, the story shifts to the afterlife, where Liliom is given a second chance — sixteen years later — to return to Earth and seek forgiveness. His brief reunion with his son and final act toward Julie bring both closure and fragile hope.

“Liliom leads us to empathy,” Neumeier explained. “It helps us recognize emotions that we ourselves have experienced.”

Neumeier’s adaptation relocates Molnár’s story from early 20th-century Budapest to an American amusement park during the Great Depression. This change gives the production a universal quality, reflecting on human weakness and the search for redemption across time and culture.

The production features music by Michel Legrand, set design by Ferdinand Wögerbauer, and lighting by James French. Conductors Nathan Brock and Václav Zahradník will lead the State Opera Orchestra and Top Big Band, performing alongside the soloists and corps de ballet of the Czech National Ballet.

About John Neumeier

Born in Milwaukee in 1939, Neumeier has spent decades shaping modern ballet. After training in Chicago, Copenhagen, and London’s Royal Ballet School, he joined the Stuttgart Ballet in 1963 and became director of the Frankfurt Ballet six years later. Since 1973, he has led the Hamburg Ballet, where he created over a hundred works, including The Lady of the Camellias (1978) and Romeo and Juliet (1971).

He founded the Hamburg Ballet School in 1978 and will conclude his directorship at the end of the 2024/2025 season, closing an era that transformed the landscape of contemporary ballet.

Info:

• Czech Premiere: October 23–24, 2025
• Venue: State Opera, Prague
• Music: Michel Legrand
• Choreography & Costumes: John Neumeier
• Set Design: Ferdinand Wögerbauer
• Lighting Design: James French
• Conductors: Nathan Brock, Václav Zahradník
• Performers: Czech National Ballet, State Opera Orchestra, Top Big Band

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