About the work
„Liliom" is a narrative ballet by John Neumeier for the Hamburg Ballet (2011), after the play of the same name by Ferenc Molnár from 1909. The music was written by Michel Legrand. Neumeier transposes Molnár's suburban legend into a melancholy, dreamlike world of images and tells the story of a failing love and a late chance of reconciliation.
Plot
The charismatic but coarse carousel barker Liliom loses his job because of his love for the simple servant girl Julie. The two move in together, but without work and money they fall into hardship. When Liliom learns that Julie is expecting a child, in desperation he lets himself be talked into a robbery to secure a future for his family. The robbery fails; to escape arrest, Liliom takes his own life. He arrives at an otherworldly authority — a celestial „police station" — where his life is judged. After many years he is allowed to return to earth for a single day to do a good deed for his now grown daughter Louise. But unable to express his love, the encounter ends in a helpless, almost tender gesture.
Cultural significance
Molnár's „Liliom" is a classic of European theatre and also served as the source for the musical „Carousel". John Neumeier's ballet version is among the significant narrative ballets of the Hamburg Ballet, combining narrative depth with Legrand's jazz-inflected, melodic music. It ranks among Neumeier's much-noticed literary ballet adaptations.