Last Updated on February 23, 2025
An exploration of love, decadence and desperation
Manon has returned to The Royal Opera House for its 50th anniversary, spectacularly danced on Opening Night by The Royal Ballet with Francesca Hayward in the title role. It was created by Kenneth MacMillan in 1974 as a 3-act narrative ballet and at the time was considered shocking because of its darker themes of exploitation, especially of women, and also of manipulation, decadent lifestyles and violence. However, Manon has become a modern classic of The Royal Ballet, still resonating with audiences today because of the theme of abuse, while it enables dancers to interpret roles of flawed but psychologically interesting characters and portray deep emotions.
We sympathise with Manon, who has to choose between true love and poverty, or riches and the security of a rich protector. Last night’s Opening Night was beautiful and cathartic, danced by incredible dancers, all on top form, and loved by the audience, who gave a rapturous ovation at the end.
Francesca Hayward shone as the sweet, charming and alluring Manon, her dancing exquisite and her acting powerful. She is the beautiful and flirty young woman on route to a convent who arrives at an inn near Paris where she meets her brother Lescaut, admirably danced by Alexander Campbell, who on seeing his sister’s hold over men has other plans for her. It is here that she first encounters Des Grieux and Monsieur G.M. Marcelino Sambé gave an incredible debut performance as the idealistic and at first innocent student Des Grieux, who falls in love with Manon and loves her to the end ardently. He was originally meant to be studying to become a priest, so his moral standards have to fall, and Manon’s life has also changed fundamentally. Hayward and Sambé danced the beautiful choreography with incredible technique, lyrical lines, wonderful artistry and compelling emotion. Sambé’s first solo, on meeting Manon was breathtaking, with wonderful strength, expression and line. Sambé’s and Francesca’s first pas de deux when they fall in love was stunning as was their ‘Bedroom’ pas de deux. Lescaut loves his sister and his mistress but is willing to sell Manon to a rich man for their future security, showing his capacity for manipulation, such as in the incredible scene, the pas de trois between him, Manon and Monsieur G.M. In this, Manon is persuaded to leave Des Grieux and become the mistress of G.M., and is passed between them in some incredibly sensual lifts. Monsieur G. M. has noticed Manon and become irresistibly attracted to her beauty and freshness. He was danced by the wonderful Gary Avis, portraying brilliantly G.M.’s creepiness and malevolence; he knows he has the power to get anything he wants. Manon’s flaw is that she cannot decide between a life of luxury or true love, but her decision sets her on the path to tragedy.
In Act 2, in the hôtel particulier, I particularly liked Lescaut’s drunk scene with his mistress, which was clever and funny. Lescaut’s mistress was danced with strength, charm and vibrancy by the lovely Mayara Magri and I loved her Mistress Variation. Manon’s solo, the party variation in her amazing sparkling black and gold dress and then her dance with the Gentlemen and Clients, were mesmerising, as they lifted and threw Manon between themselves. She appears tantalising and charming yet delicate and vulnerable. The slow supported dives and slides were amazing, as were the slow presage lifts, the off-balance promenades and lifted grand jetes. She displays her true heart when she notices Des Grieux there and runs back on point, shocked. Manon persuading Des Grieux to cheat at cards illustrates how she is manipulating him and how their standards of behaviour are falling.
Manon and Des Grieux appear devoted to each other but in a forlorn state at the start of Act 3 as they arrive in the penal colony. Although she is weak and sick, her hair shorn, she is still noticed for her beauty by the Gaoler and it is a very powerful moment when Manon is arrested by the Gaoler (an excellent performance by Nicol Edmonds) and taken away, but Des Grieux cannot help her; we feel his despair at yet another devastating blow to their happiness. Manon being abused by the Gaoler is very disturbing; Des Grieux can break in to save her only by killing the Gaoler. The last scenes in the swamp are incredibly dramatic, tragic and desperately sad, beautifully and emotionally danced by Hayward and Sambé, who enjoy the most spectacular choreography and are heartbreaking. The whole Company danced wonderfully throughout in the various scenes; the inn, the hotel particulier and the penal colony. The Beggar Chief (Taisuke Nakao) and his gang were cheeky and fun and the Gentlemen, the Clients and the Courtesans were all excellent. The whole staging with the lower rungs of society, such as the harlots, skivvies, rat catcher, townspeople, etc around the edges was very effective.
The ballet Manon is set in the decadent world of Paris in the Regency Era, the 18th Century, (1715-1723) when Philippe d’Orleans was Regent. It was a turbulent time of decadence, loose morals, sociability, high-living, indulgent pleasures and in contrast extreme poverty. Kenneth MacMillan based the ballet Manon on the book by Abbé Prévost (1697-1763) who was a French priest, author and novelist and seems to have had a similar life to Des Grieux, including a love affair; it is as if he has written of what he knew and had experienced. He wrote the book Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut which was published in 1731. It was a very popular book but banned in France. Kenneth MacMillan worked closely with the Greek designer Nicholas Georgiadis, (1923-2001), a friend and collaborator, who had studied art and architecture, was a stage and costume designer, and who created the wonderful and evocative sets and costumes for Manon and other ballets such as Romeo and Juliet (1965), Mayerling (1978) and The Prince of The Pagodas (1989). In Manon, his idea was ‘to contrast things that are desperate with things that are sumptuous and luxurious’. He was able to make very clear the contrast between wealth and poverty by putting expensive fabrics such as silks, furs, and brocades against rags and draping curtains of rags around the edges, to show the ever-present poverty. He used a palette of browns, oranges, olives, yellows, corals, blues, creams and occasionally black because that colour was only used by the wealthy, being hard to produce. Manon wears the wonderful black and gold dress and Lescaut the black jacket at the party.
Manon was the second 3-act ballet for Kenneth MacMillan (1929-1992) who is also famous for his first 3-act ballet, Romeo and Juliet and his third, Mayerling. He was Director of the Royal Ballet from 1970-1977 and Principal Choreographer from 1977-1992. He is famous for the psychological drama he explores in his ballets and for the dramatic and expressive narrative choreography he employs. MacMillan’s muses for Manon were Antoinette Sibley, Anthony Dowell, Jennifer Penny and David Wall and Antionette Sibley and Anthony Dowell danced in the premier to a standing ovation. This ballet is always a special one for each generation of dancers; debuts this season include Yasmine Naghdi and Fumi Kaneko as Manon and William Bracewell and Calvin Richardson as Des Grieux.
The wonderful and expressive music is by Jules Massenet, (1842-1912), originally compiled by Leighton Lucas with the collaboration of Hilda Gaunt and more recently orchestrated by Martin Yates. Massenet wrote music for many ballets and operas and Lucas chose the most suitable pieces to be put together for Manon; for instance, he uses the melody ‘Crepuscule’ as a motif for Manon when she comes on stage and ‘Elegie’ when Manon and Des Grieux fall in love. The orchestra played beautifully and was conducted by Koen Kessels.
The lighting design is by Jacopo Pantani and the staging is by Christopher Saunders and Laura Morera.
Manon continues until 8th March and will be live in cinemas on Wednesday 7th February 2024, at 7.15 pm when Natalia Osipova and Reece Clarke will dance the leads and then Encores will follow from Sunday 11th February, 2 pm
Royal Opera House
Bow Street
London
WC2E 9DD
For other productions at the Royal Opera House this season, check our 2024 Royal Opera House preview
Wonderful review.