Houston Ballet's ALADDIN Comes to Chicago's Auditorium Theatre This Weekend

Making their Auditorium Theatre debut, Houston Ballet brings their enchanted production of celebrated choreographer David Bintley's "Aladdin" to the landmark stage, this weekend, March 22 - 23, 2014.

A tale of love, trickery and triumph, "Aladdin" tells the story of a young marketplace boy who becomes part of a whirlwind adventure with romance, unbelievable riches, love at first sight, treachery, and a magic lamp. Originally created for the New National Ballet of Japan in Tokyo, the production continues to take audiences on a thrilling ride, and will transform the Auditorium Theatre into an astonishing spectacle of hidden treasure and adventure that is perfect for the entire family. "Aladdin" is a co-production between Birmingham Royal Ballet and Houston Ballet Foundation and is co-presented with the Ravinia Festival.

Tickets ($32 - $92) are on sale now and available online at ticketmaster.com/auditorium, by calling (800) 982-ARTS (2787) or at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office (50 E Congress Pkwy).

"At the Auditorium, we are pleased when we can present new full length ballets that are based on popular stories," said Auditorium Theatre Executive Director Brett Batterson. "It is such a joy to offer this innovative, beautiful ballet that is perfect for the entire family. Houston Ballet is an important American dance company and it is a pleasure to have them present this spectacular production of 'Aladdin,' while making their Auditorium Theatre debut."

Created for the New National Ballet of Japan in Tokyo in 2008 and premiering in London in 2013 "Aladdin" has been heralded as "Elaborate and splendid" ("Asahi Shimbun" - Japanese national press). London's "The Telegraph" stated "'Aladdin' is a full-blown piece of three-act splendor and looks absolutely astonishing....it is a delightful family show, and an ideal first outing to the ballet." Based on the collection of stories, "One Thousand and One Nights" or "Arabian Nights," "Aladdin" is the tale of a young, naive boy who is tricked into retrieving a magic lamp from a hidden cave. Having found the lamp, Aladdin soon realizes it is enchanted as the magical Djinni (genie) appears granting Aladdin all of the wealth he could imagine. Returning to his home as a rich man, Aladdin falls in love with the Emperor's daughter, Princess Badr al-Budar but is doomed when the Emperor's Grand Vizier realizes that Aladdin is the poor boy from the marketplace who is now in possession of the magic lamp. BAFTA Award-winner Carl Davis's original composition, played live by the Chicago Philharmonic, takes Aladdin and the rest of the characters on a fast-paced, enchanting journey-including a magic carpet ride-full of twists, turns and excitement.

"One of the most pleasurable experiences of my choreographic life was the creation of 'Aladdin' for the dancers of the New National Theater Tokyo," said Choreographer David Bintley. "It has been fascinating to see the growth of the ballet as it travels throughout the world-from Tokyo to London to Houston and now Chicago. It is such a joy to watch audiences embrace this new iteration of a beloved tale and to have such a unique experience while watching this enchanted story come to life."

Bintley's magical adventure comes to life as celebrated Set Designer Dick Bird's design transforms the Auditorium stage into a marketplace, a royal palace, a hidden cave and more, while Laurence Olivier Award nominee Sue Blane's costumes create a spectacle of magic and mystery and Mark Jonathan's lighting design transports the audience to an Arabian night. The production is staged by both Bintley and Denis Bonner.

Saturday, March 22 | 8:00 pm
Sunday, March 23 | 2:00 pm

Tickets are $32 - $92 and are available online at ticketmaster.com/auditorium, by calling (800) 982-ARTS (2787) or in-person at the Auditorium's Box Office (50 E Congress Pkwy). Discounted tickets available to groups of 10 or more are available by calling (312) 341-2357.

Houston Ballet's "Aladdin" is part of the Auditorium Theatre's 2013-2014 Dance Series that also includes Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (February 28 - March 9), Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan's "Songs of the Wanderers" (March 14 & 16), River North Dance Chicago (April 12), and The Paul Taylor Dance Company (May 17 - 18).

Dance Subscriptions - discounted at 30% off individual ticket prices - start at only $80 and are on sale now. A Select Your Own Series is also available at a 15% discount. For more information or to purchase a subscription call (312) 341-2357 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

"Aladdin" is a co-production between Birmingham Royal Ballet and Houston Ballet Foundation. Co-presented with the Ravinia Festival. Houston Ballet's performances of "Aladdin" are made possible by the generous support of Houston First Corporation and the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Live music made possible in part through the generosity of Anne Kaplan and Ed and Dia Weil.

About Houston Ballet: On February 17, 1969 a troupe of 15 young dancers made its stage debut at Sam Houston State Teacher's College in Huntsville, Texas. Since that time, Houston Ballet has evolved into a company of 55 dancers with a budget of $22.8 million (making it the United States' fourth largest ballet company by number of dancers); a state-of-the-art performance space built especially for the company, Wortham Theater Center; the largest professional dance facility in America, Houston Ballet's $46.6 million Center for Dance which opened in April 2011; and an endowment of $60,676,551 (as of August 2013).

Australian choreographer Stanton Welch has served as artistic director of Houston Ballet since 2003, raising the level of the company's classical technique and commissioning many new works from dance makers such as Christopher Bruce, Jorma Elo, James Kudelka, Julia Adam, Natalie Weir and Nicolo Fonte. James Nelson serves as the administrative leader of the company, assuming the position of executive director of Houston Ballet in February 2012 after serving as the company's general manager for over a decade.

Houston Ballet has toured extensively both nationally and internationally. Since 2000, the company has appeared in London at Sadler's Wells, at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Ottawa, in six cities in Spain, in Montréal, at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in New York at City Center and The Joyce Theater, and in cities large and small across the United States. Houston Ballet has emerged as a leader in the expensive, labor-intensive task of nurturing the creation and development of new full-length narrative ballets.

For more information on Houston Ballet visit houstonballet.org.

About the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University: The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E Congress Pkwy, is an Illinois, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. The Auditorium Theatre is generously supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the NIB Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and the Palmer House Hilton. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theatre tours, call (312) 341 - 2310 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

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