ROH Live: Manon

Choreography Kenneth Macmillan
Music Jules Massenet
Orchestration Martin Yates
Designer Nicholas Georgiadis
Lighting designer Jacopo Pantani
Conductor Koen Kessels
Cast Natalia Osipova and Reece Clarke
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Kenneth MacMillan’s passionate ballet tells the story of Manon, who is torn between her desire for a life of splendour and riches and her devotion to her true love Des Grieux.

This adaptation of Abbé Prévost’s novel embodies Kenneth MacMillan at his best, his acute insight into human psychology and his mastery of narrative choreography finding full expression in the impassioned duets of the central couple, visceral and urgent in their desire. The heroine’s struggle to escape poverty make Manon one of the most dramatic and devastating of ballets, emphasized by Nicholas Georgiadis’ evocative designs that reflect the juxtaposition between Manon’s impoverished origins and the lavish world she longs to inhabit.

The 2023/24 Season celebrates the centenary of Nicholas Georgiadis.