In a rehearsal room at American Ballet Theater’s studios earlier this month, Alessandra Ferri and Roman Zhurbin paused during a pas de deux, waiting to take their next steps. “Where’s Big Ben?” Ferri asked. It tolls throughout Virginia Woolf’s novel “Mrs Dalloway,” coldly marking and making clear the passage of time. Big Ben plays a similar role in the first part of “Woolf Works,” Wayne McGregor’s full-length ballet that evokes elements of Woolf’s biography and the essence of three novels, including “Mrs. Dalloway.” Having premiered at the Royal Ballet in 2015 to strong reviews, it arrives in New York on Tuesday, as part of Ballet Theater’s Metropolitan Opera House season.

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Persons: Alessandra Ferri, Roman Zhurbin, “, Ben, ” Ferri, Dalloway, ”, Big Ben, “ Woolf, ” Wayne McGregor’s, Romeo, Juliet, Christopher Wheeldon’s Organizations: Ballet, Royal Ballet, Opera Locations: Westminster, London, Virginia, “, New York