Like Water for Chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate
Nothing tastes better than forbidden love.
Passion, mystery and magic combine as potent ingredients in this ballet by Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, inspired by author Laura Esquivel’s modern Mexican classic Like Water for Chocolate.
Passion, mystery and magic combine as potent ingredients in this ballet by Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, inspired by author Laura Esquivel’s modern Mexican classic Like Water for Chocolate.
The Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre
Royal Ballet and Opera Principal Julia Rausing Trust
Richard Baker, Sir Lloyd and Lady Dorfman OBE, Doug and Ceri King, John McGinn and Cary Davis, The Paul Ferguson Memorial Fund and The American Friends of Covent Garden
Kenneth and Susan Green
Aud Jebsen
A deliciously captivating family saga
Tita grows up in the kitchen of the family cook, surrounded by its sights and smells. She falls in love with Pedro, a boy who lives nearby. They want to marry – but she is bound by an unquestioned family tradition: being the youngest daughter, she must remain unmarried to take care of her mother in old age. Caught between her yearning for Pedro and the formidable hand of Mama Elena, Tita’s emotions spill out in her cooking, often in ways unexpected and startling.
Background
Fruitful Collaborations
Christopher Wheeldon’s delectable ballet returns for its first revival since its premiere in 2022, when it was created for The Royal Ballet. Wheeldon’s dramatic choreography combines with Joby Talbot’s score and Bob Crowley’s designs to propel us into the passion and chaos of Tita’s family ranch in Mexico. The ballet is the third in a series of collaborations between Wheeldon, Talbot, Crowley and lighting designer Natasha Katz – fruitful collaborations that also yielded Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Winter’s Tale.
As part of the ballet’s creation process, Wheeldon worked closely with author Laura Esquivel to reshape her richly-layered story as an engrossing new ballet. Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra also acted as musical consultant for Talbot’s original score.
A Work of Magical Realism
Like Water for Chocolate is inspired by Laura Esquivel’s novel of the same name, considered a classic of the magical realism genre. Stories of magical realism feature the inclusion of supernatural or magical elements in everyday settings – other authors considered to write in a magical realist tradition include Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Luis Borges. Some have critiqued the genre itself as an ethnocentric conception of Latin American writing.
Cast and Creatives
Cast
The cast of this production may vary depending on performance date. Go to cast and dates to see these.
Creatives
Reviews
Access
There is lift access and step-free routes to over 100 seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony and Amphitheatre. There are 10 steps or fewer to some seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony, Amphitheatre and the Donald Gordon Grand Tier. All seats in the Orchestra stalls are accessed by 9 steps or more. A handheld bell is rung by Front of House staff to signal guests to take their seats before a performance. The bell is loud and can be startling. The bell is rung approximately ten minutes before the show starts and at each interval.
We have an assistive listening system available to use.
Accessible performances:
There will be an Audio Described performance with a Touch Tour on 4 October and 24 October 2025. Touch Tours must be booked by contacting boxoffice@roh.org.uk for tickets.
Join our Access Scheme for priority access performance tickets and to personalise your account for your access requirements.
See our Accessibility page for more information on access at the Royal Opera House.
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