By Steve Sucato

Cleveland Ballet continues its 11th season with Handel’s Messiah this weekend at Playhouse Square’s KeyBank State Theatre.

The large-scale music and dance spectacle in partnership with the Cleveland Chamber Choir and Northeast Ohio’s BlueWater Chamber Orchestra is set to put composer George Frideric Handel’s masterwork “Messiah,” the 1741 English-language oratorio about the life of Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, into glorious motion. 

Choreographed by Weiss, with contributions by Amy Seiwert, Tyler Walters, and Cleveland Ballet Artistic Director Timour Bourtasenkov, the 2-hour production in three acts was first premiered in part in 1998 by Carolina Ballet, which then debuted the full 3-act production in 1999. It was later performed by Pennsylvania Ballet, and now, Cleveland Ballet becomes only the third company to mount the inspirational production. 

“In terms of choreography, the steps themselves haven’t changed,” says Weiss of Cleveland Ballet’s upcoming production. “The choreography is the choreography. But what does evolve — and always will — is the artistry of the dancers performing it. Each company brings its own energy.” 

Original cast member Dameon Nagel, who staged the work at Cleveland Ballet, says the choreographic look differs across the ballet’s three acts.

“From my understanding, the first act was approached with the ballet’s creators listening to the intention contained in the lyrics of Handel’s music to come up with ideas of what could be represented in dance. The second act is much more literal, and the choreography directly represents the lyrics, as do its biblical-looking costumes. The third act returns to a focus on conveying the lyrics’ intent through choreography, rather than on literal interpretation.”   

A cast of twenty-two portrays various biblical and angelic characters, corresponding to the lyrics taken from scripture of each musical section. The only constant throughout the ballet is that of the Messiah character.

“I’m especially excited about the two artists portraying the Messiah,” says Weiss. “That role is demanding both technically and emotionally, and they have some very difficult material to perform.”

Dancing the Messiah role will be Johan Mancebo, 7 p.m., Friday, March 20, and 2 p.m., Sunday, March 22, and Narek Martirosyan, 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 20, and 7 p.m., Saturday, March 21.

While the Messiah role may be the ballet’s most demanding, the character is actually onstage the least in the ballet, says Nagel. “The Congregation dancers are really the foundation of the ballet, appearing in 28 of the ballet’s 42 sections.” Those dozen dancers portray multiple characters in multiple group dances and more throughout the ballet.

Messiah’s other key roles include two principal couples, four female soloists, including longtime company member Lauren Stenroos, in her final performances (read my article on Stenroos and her career here), and The Archangel, a multifaceted role involving several dancers including one as the angel, another who lifts them about, and four more who manipulate each of the angel’s six foot long wings.

Soloists from the choir will also join the dancers onstage at times. Other highlights include a riveting dance section set to the score’s famous “Hallelujah” chorus, and throughout the ballet, members of the cast recreate divine images from biblical paintings in tableau. 

“There are moments in the music where, simply by listening, you can practically see the resurrection,” says Weiss. “In the ballet, we actually show it. The choreography is entirely inspired by the music. Handel’s score is glorious and transporting on its own. What the ballet offers is another dimension — a visual and emotional embodiment of what you’re hearing.”

Cleveland Ballet performs Handel’s Messiah with the Cleveland Chamber Choir and BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, 7 p.m., Friday, March 20 & Saturday, March 21, and 2 p.m., Sunday, March 22, at KeyBank State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. Tickets range from $35 to $156 and are available online at playhousesquare.org/events/detail/the-messiah or by phone at (216) 241-6000.