Manon: a ballet review by Alan Slade
The scandalous tale of Manon Lescaut was first published in Paris in 1731, written by L’Abbe Prevost and banned until republished 22 years later with a warning.
Versions were set to music by Jules Massenet in 1884 and Giacomo Puccini in 1893.
Both operas are still in repertoires around the world of opera. Legendary Scottish choreographer, Sir Kenneth MacMillan created the three-act ballet version in 1974 for the Royal London Ballet, using an amalgam of music by Jules Massenet.
The sets and 30-year-old costumes were sent from The Australian Ballet’s Melbourne centre in two immense trucks, with over one tonne of soft goods transported by air. It required 1,300 hours to set up in the Lyric Theatre.
Each of the performances (28 Sep to 8 Oct 2022) involves 75 dancers, using 1,500 costume pieces and 90 wigs, as well as members of the Queensland Symphony orchestra with their conductor, Nigel Gaynor. The cast on October 1 featured Lucy Green as Manon, Victor Estevez as Des Grieux, Vito Bernasconi as Lescaut and Dylan Lackey as Monsieur GM. The 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre has an enormous stage, as demanded by the scale of MacMillan’s production.
From the opening bars of the overture, Massenet’s music, masterfully arranged by Martin Yates, was magnificently played, with the orchestra’s nuances superbly managed by conductor Nigel Gaynor. The stunningly constructed period scenery, enhanced and sculpted by Jacopo Pantani’s unobtrusively effective lighting, matched the costuming.
The dancers were worthy of the difficult choreography, requiring some gymnastic as well as classical ballet movements. It must be particularly difficult to dance in flowing robes rather than traditional tutus and tights.
A highlight of the performance was the Act 2 scene in the bordello, where Bernasconi’s drunken Lescaut executed superb stumbles, causing significant laughter in the audience. Act 3’s final scene in the Louisiana jungle was an amazing balance of orchestral and ballet emotions, greatly appreciated by the audience’s applause and cheering of the cast in the many curtain calls.
