Oscar Wilde firmly denied the ethical utility of art. Perhaps the most famous of aesthetes, he believed that art should be created and enjoyed for art’s sake. And more importantly, that its value should be assessed only by whether it was well made.

It is somewhat ironic, then, that The Australian Ballet’s major new work about the Irish writer’s life has a decidedly political bent. Touted as a “big, gay” ballet that breaks new ground in the stubbornly conservative genre, Oscar foregrounds the queer experience in a full-scale dance production typically reserved for heteronormative plotlines.

Callum Linnane, Sharni Spencer and Joseph Caley in The Australian Ballet’s Oscar. Photo © Christopher Rodgers-Wilson

Driving the vision is British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, well known for his bells-and-whistles story ballets like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and more recent forays into musical theatre. These credentials – combined with a personal interest in Wilde’s writings tracing back to his childhood – make Wheeldon a sensible choice to tackle a biographical work about one of the most revered and extravagant figures in Western literature.

Wilde’s life and writings are rich fodder. Wheeldon and composer Joby Talbot have chosen to...