Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota is set to unveil the world premiere of an original full-length Phantom of the Opera ballet this Halloween weekend, with performances scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul. Saturday's shows are set for 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., giving audiences two chances to catch opening weekend before the production continues into Sunday.
The new ballet comes from Twin Cities Ballet Artistic Directors Denise Vogt and Rick Vogt, according to Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota. Denise Vogt is credited with the original story adaptation and musical compilation, while she and Rick Vogt share choreography duties on the production, and Peter Morrow designed the multimedia and projection elements that will accompany the dancers onstage. As KARE 11 notes, the premiere runs from October 31 through November 1 at the Fitzgerald Theater.
A Haunting Setting for a New Production
The venue itself carries its own history. Built in 1910, the Fitzgerald Theater is Saint Paul's oldest surviving theater space, per the event listing on the theater's own site. That backdrop lends an extra layer of atmosphere to a ballet built around the gothic tale of a masked figure haunting the halls of an opera house.
Tickets for the premiere start at $53.63 including fees, with the base ticket price listed at $42.50, according to a listing on dancemn.org.
Public Funding Behind the Production
The project has received public arts support, with organizers noting that the activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, funded through the arts and cultural heritage fund, per the Fitzgerald Theater's event page. That funding line is tied specifically to this production's listing rather than to Twin Cities Ballet's broader season.
The production is a locally created, original take on a classic gothic story, built from scratch by a Twin Cities company and staged in one of Saint Paul's most storied theaters just in time for Halloween.
