Ballet Easter Eggs

George Frideric Handel

Regarded by classical music fans as one of the most moving works in the classical canon, George Frideric Handel’s 1741 masterpiece, Messiah, has been the inspiration behind several ballet adaptations. John Neumeier took on the epic score in his 1999 production for Hamburg Ballet; Andrew Rist created a version for Ballet Minnesota in 2012, and Robert Weiss most recently staged a production in March 2026 at Cleveland Ballet. Often accompanied by a live choir in addition to the orchestra, the biblical narrative is transformed for the ballet stage, synchronising the story of faith, betrayal and redemption with classical ballet.

Sir Frederick Ashton

The creative genius behind The Dream, Marguerite and Armand, Cinderella and the ‘Fred Step’, Sir Frederick Ashton brought Beatrix Potter’s magical tales to ballet in a filmed production in 1971. In 1992, then Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet Anthony Dowell brought Ashton’s choreography and Beatrix Potter’s characters to the stage in an enchanting production set to music by John Lanchbery.

Victorian melodies intertwine with beloved characters including Jemima Puddle-Duck and Peter Rabbit in this whimsical ballet that, while not exactly Easter-themed, is still a charming family-friendly production about a delightfully cheeky rabbit!

John Neumeier

At the other end of the Easter spectrum is what John Neumeier calls his “most profound work”, Saint Matthew Passion. Neumeier’s homage to Johann Sebastian Bach’s 1727 musical masterpiece explores the legacy of Christianity through what scholars have called a “living fresco of the New Testament”. A choreographer deeply invested in understanding humanity, Neumeier’s biblical ballet explores the complex relationships between guilt and forgiveness, grief and hope, sacrifice and love. Premiering in Germany in 1980, Neumeier's Saint Matthew Passion was performed outside of Europe for the very first time when the Hamburg Ballet toured to Los Angeles in 2022. 

“Saint Matthew Passion is for me the prime example of the possibility dance may possess to embody a universally comprehended language.” - John Neumeier

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber

Not a ballet, but Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera that changed the traditional musical format forever gets a special mention for its Easter-specific themes. First recorded as a concept album, the music is the driving force of the narrative based on the last days of Jesus Christ’s life.  Incorporating gospel and soul with 1960s/70s counterculture rock and electronic elements, the album became a global sensation, leading the 1971 Broadway musical. Told through the lens of Judas, Jesus Christ Superstar continues to captivate audiences with edgy reinventions that reflect current events and concerns.

“Rather than telling the story of the last six days of the life of Jesus Christ, one is actually trying to examine why it was that Judas betrayed somebody that he clearly loved.” - Andrew Lloyd Webber