L’Histoire de Manon

Manon, as wonderfully retold by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, strikes our hearts and never ceases to move audiences. Torn between desire for a life of luxury and lustre, and her true love for Des Grieux — this is the forlorn and fickle Manon.

The ballet adaptation of Abbé Prévost’s novel L’Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut shows Sir Kenneth MacMillan at his very finest, attesting as it does to his profound insight into human psychology, choreographic craft and narrative skill. The artist admirably expresses the power of fateful love in the central characters’ impassioned duets.

A highly dramatic and heart-wrenching ballet, Manon aptly depicts the heroine’s desperate endeavour to escape a life of poverty and degradation. Her one and only advantage is youth and mesmerising beauty. Manon Lescaut and Des Grieux, a frivolous student, fall in love with each other, which gives rise to an extremely emotional and destructive drama. The ill-fated couple’s love is subject to a variety of trials and failures, yet it grows ever stronger. 

• Approximate running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, 2 intermission (20 minutes)
• Recommended age: 15+

Czech premiere: 20 February 2025 at the State Opera

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