Oscar at New York City Center — Dates, Tickets, and What to Expect

A full-length story ballet about Oscar Wilde arrives in New York this week. The Australian Ballet is bringing Oscar, Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet about the writer’s rise and fall, to New York City Center for four days only, and these are its New York premiere performances. It is a rare chance to see a major international company in a big new narrative work without leaving Manhattan.

About the Ballet

The story opens in England in 1895. Wilde has been imprisoned for “gross indecency,” and from his cell he looks back on the dazzling life he had: the fame, the wit, the love affairs and the fall that ended it all. Wheeldon and composer Joby Talbot built the scenario from an idea by Alexander Wise and Wheeldon, and they fold in two of Wilde’s own stories, The Nightingale and the Rose and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Wheeldon is a two-time Tony winner, known on Broadway for An American in Paris and MJ The Musical. Stage and costume design are by Jean-Marc Puissant, lighting by Jon Goldman and video by David Bergman. The Australian Ballet gave the world premiere on September 13, 2024, at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne.

What Makes This Run Special

• New York premiere. City Center bills these four days as the ballet’s first New York performances.
• A live orchestra of 48. The Orchestra of St. Luke’s plays Talbot’s score live at every performance.
• David Hallberg’s company. The run anchors City Center’s Artists at the Center series, which this season spotlights David Hallberg, The Australian Ballet’s artistic director and a former American Ballet Theatre star.

Who Should Go

• Story-ballet lovers: this is a full narrative evening with sets, costumes and characters, closer in feel to a play than to a mixed bill.
• Literature and theater fans: if you know Wilde’s life or his writing, you will spot the threads Wheeldon pulls in.
• Not for young children: City Center’s content warning is worth taking seriously. For a gentler first ballet, see Ballet for Beginners: 10 Works to Start With.

Seats and Booking Tips

• City Center lists tickets from $45 with fees included. With only five performances, it is worth checking availability early.
• City Center publishes seating maps for its Mainstage. For a story ballet with video design and full sets, a centered seat helps you take in the whole stage picture. Our guide on how to choose seats at a ballet performance explains the trade-offs between levels.
• City Center’s Access Club is aimed at audiences 40 and under. Details are on the event page.
• For more ways to save, see How to Get Cheap Ballet Tickets in the US, and for dress code questions, Ballet Etiquette: What to Wear and When to Clap.

Getting to New York City Center

City Center is on West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Midtown. The closest subway stops listed by City Center are 57th Street–7th Avenue (N, Q, R, W; accessible), 57th Street–6th Avenue (F) and 7th Avenue–53rd Street (D, E). The A, B, C, D and 1 trains stop at 59th Street–Columbus Circle, a slightly longer walk. Buses on the M1 through M7, M10, M20, M31, M57 and M104 routes all serve the area. More details, including nearby garages, are on City Center’s Directions & Parking page.

Before & After the Show

City Center publishes a neighborhood guide with local partner restaurants and hotels near the theater.

Back to This Week

See everything on stage in New York and Philadelphia this week in Ballet This Week: October Week 1, 2026. Earlier this season, The Australian Ballet also danced at City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival, which we covered in Ballet This Week: September Week 4, 2026.

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Schedules and prices can change. Please confirm on the official site before booking. Spotted an error? Let me know.