Period drama will be brought to life through dance when English National Ballet presents Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon at Milton Keynes Theatre from Wednesday (October 24).
English National Ballet is touring Manon outside London for only the second time in thirty years this season and Milton Keynes Theatre is one of just three venues hosting the production, writes Georgina Butler.
A full-blooded ballet of love, decadence and passion, Manon is a modern masterpiece that is famous for its expressive choreography and dramatic intensity.
The late British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan was inspired by Abbé Prévost’s notorious 1731 French novel Manon Lescaut, and the Puccini and Massenet operas based on it, when he created his balletic interpretation of one of the earliest imaginings of a femme fatale.
The tragic three-act romance is set in eighteenth century Paris and tells the tale of the young and naïve Manon. She is torn between two lives: privilege and opulence with the wealthy Monsieur GM, or innocent love with the penniless student Des Grieux.
Wanting it all will be her downfall…
Devoid of tutus and tiaras, MacMillan’s Manon is a steamy, grown-up story of sex and money. Aristocrats, beggars, courtesans and harlots fill the stage in a large-scale production that sees the corps de ballet dancers indulging in almost as much debauchery as the main players.
Manon features some of the most demanding and fulfilling roles in the ballet repertoire and MacMillan’s choreography gives audiences a fascinating insight into each character.
Look out for a lyrical solo from the love-struck Des Grieux when he sets out to sweep Manon off her feet during the first act. And be prepared to see Manon coquettishly discovering and embodying her sexual power throughout the ballet, before eventually taking her last breath while being tenderly embraced by her lover. Yes, you will probably shed a tear.
The moving story unfolds to a haunting score by French composer Jules Massenet which will be performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.
Theatregoers should expect intoxicating drama and impassioned pas de deux passages fuelled by the desires of one of ballet’s most irresistible heroines.
VIDEO TRAILER: https://youtu.be/qSLvIrXyE2I
English National Ballet’s Manon runs at Milton Keynes Theatre from Wednesday October 24 until Saturday October 27.
Click here or call the Box Office on 0844 871 7652 to book.
For more dance and theatre news, reviews, features and interviews by Georgina, click here
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