Manon

Miranda Rose November 18, 2009

Friedemann Vogel and Daria Klimentova were utterly stunning. Such chemistry. Such skill. And the exciting yet graceful choreography enabled them to create something utterly beautiful - less stilted than classical ballet, more elegant than modern dance.

I feel enormously privileged to have seen them in this production. Here's an all too short clip of their bedroom pas de deux.

From the first note of famous French tragedy we are off in a whirlwind back to 18th century Paris: aristocrats and courtesans, passion and wealth.

Manon (danced by Agnes Oaks) appears. Her beauty affects everyone as she dances a beautiful and innocent solo piece. Her corrupt brother Lescaut is persuading his sister to become the mistress of a very wealthy gentleman. However, Manon falls in love with Des Grieux (danced by Thomas Edur), a handsome young student, and they decide to elope. The first pas de deux (duet) between Oaks and Edur is entrancing. The innocent, tentative first few steps, swelling into passion and excitement on discovering they both feel the same way, the fluidity and clarity of their dancing conveyed their emotions beautifully. This love is given a chance to develop into a fully-fledged romance in the next scene when they are in Des Grieux’s apartment and they dance a passionate and eternally binding duet.

Des Grieux then leaves to run some errands but whilst alone in the apartment Lescaut and Monsieur GM arrive, having discovered the lovers' hideout. Manon is presented with a luxurious fur coat and jewels from Monsieur GM and is shown the possibility of a life of wealth ahead of her and she agrees to leave Des Grieux and become the aristocrat’s mistress. This is an intricate dance with both Lescaut and Monsieur GM working together and echoing their steps and thus their ideas to influence Manon. In the end, although torn by the decision she leaves with Monsieur GM.

On returning from the interval we are shown inside the Parisian underworld where girls of ill repute dance to compete for the richest men. The vibrant and colourful scene is perfection - the seediness of the business is apparent but the dancers still make it beautiful. Des Grieux finds Manon here, but she has changed: she tells him that there is no point in living without any money. He does a dance of despair and sadness, which wins her over, and she convinces him to cheat at cards to try to win a fortune. Alas, he is discovered and Manon is arrested.

After the second interval we are witness to the the deported prostitutes arriving in New Orleans and being sold into slavery. Here Manon and the faithful Des Grieux have to experience dirt, despair, lecherous gaolers, fever, murder and an escape through the swamp. This last scene is really heartbreaking: Manon, broken in health by her experiences, is haunted by ghostly apparitions from her past. The pas de deux for this scene was executed with such fragility on Manon’s behalf and such tenderness and love from Des Grieux that we were swept away with the emotions. The memories haunt her until eventually she dies and the curtain falls.

Throughout the production the music of Jules Massenet provides moments of drama, of sweetness and excitement and it supports the beautiful and exquisite choreography of Sir Kenneth Macmillan. Wayne Eagling the artistic director had produced an amazing show. The strongest points of this production are definitely the duets, the chemistry between the various dancers is really strong and it comes across beautifully. It's a very accessible ballet creating strong emotions. As to be expected the costumes are lavish, the set design appropriate and altogether this was a beautiful and brilliant performance – highly recommended.

Missed it in Oxford? The production will now go to THE CARDIFF MILLENNIUM CENTRE for its final week in the UK (27th April – 2nd May).

Caroline Smith 21 Apr 2009

Daily Info

Location

New Theatre, Oxford

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