Joffrey replaces ‘Shrew’ with ‘Merry Widow’

In a change of schedule, the Joffrey Ballet will present the Midwest premiere of British choreographer Ronald Hynd’s zestfully comic version of “The Merry Widow” this winter as part of its season at the Auditorium Theatre.

“The Merry Widow,” premiered by the Australian Ballet in 1975 and set to John Lanchbery and Alan Abbott’s adaptation of Franz Lehar’s classic operetta, replaces the announced revival of John Cranko’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” “Merry Widow” will run Feb. 16-27.

“Shrew” will return in a later season, but the switch will give the troupe another full-length acquisition following a 2009-10 season that saw the successful company premiere of “Othello,” one reason the troupe recently ended its fiscal year in the black for the first time since 2005.