Prior to The Australian Ballet’s opening night performance of Manon, the company’s Artistic Director, David Hallberg, dedicated the season to Colin Peasley OAM, who passed away in September aged 90.
Renowned for the artistry he brought to character roles, Peasley was amongst The Australian Ballet’s founding members when it formed in 1962. Peasley’s outstanding contribution to The Australian Ballet – as a dancer, ballet master and education manager – spanned 50 years and thousands of performances.
This restaging of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon showcases his choreography to perfection. While never shying away from stillness, MacMillan’s unconventional movement transitions challenge the dancers. The technical virtuosity his choreography demands is staggering. MacMillan’s cascading canons and inspired floor work help define this work, which is resplendent with multiple memorable pas de deux. Oh, and did we mention that Manon also requires emotionally nuanced performances?
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Based on Abbé Prévost’s novel, Manon Lescaut, this ballet transports us to 18th century France. Act I is set in the courtyard of an inn, where the demi-monde of Paris mingle. Manon (Robyn Hendricks) arrives in a carriage alongside an Old Gentleman who’s clearly enamoured of her. Noticing this Old Gentleman’s interest, Manon’s brother Lescaut (Maxim Zenin) – basically her pimp – ushers him inside the inn to hopefully make an arrangement. Meanwhile, Manon meets a student, Des Grieux (Callum Linnane) – it’s love at first sight and the pair hatch a plan to run away together.
For this ballet’s duration, Manon wrestles with her genuine love for Des Grieux and desire for the finer things in life, which could be achieved by marrying above her station. When another suitor, the wealthy Monsieur G.M. (Adam Bull), appears, Manon is torn.
Zenin delivers a standout performance as Lescaut, effortlessly executing soaring leaps and landing every pirouette with aplomb – he’s thrilling to watch. As Lescaut’s Mistress, the magnetic Isobelle Dashwood also doesn’t put a foot wrong. The pair’s ‘drunken’ pas de deux is received with genuine chuckles from audience members. As we embrace these moments of levity, the technical demands of this pas de deux are not lost on us.
The scene in Act II, during which Manon is passed between multiple suitors is intoxicating – like tumbling underwater in slow motion.
Hendricks is the picture of elegance throughout. Her take on Manon is self-aware, delighting in the male attention she receives, yet we still sympathise with her plight.
During the pas de deux that closes Act III, Hendricks somehow manages to look drained and limp while flawlessly executing the complex choreography – props to Linnane’s partnering skills. Upstage, important characters and scenes from Manon’s life unfold – her life flashing before her eyes – as she slips into delirium, downstage. Hendricks looks utterly broken in Linnane’s arms. His desperation is palpable as he tries to keep her moving to sustain her.
Massenet’s pathos-drenched score, lush with heart-aching strings, allows us to fully surrender to Manon’s tragic demise. Charles Barker conducts Martin Yates’ arrangements with precision and gusto. When Barker gestures towards Orchestra Victoria during curtain call, the audience applause speaks volumes.
The Australian Ballet’s classic repertoire is enriched by the inclusion of Manon, which was last staged here in 2014.
Manon plays at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre until 22 October.
