[Sydney] The Australian Ballets Manon
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December 1, 2008 – 9:40 pm
Kirsty Martin and Robert Curran in Manon. Photography Justin Smith. Credit: The Australian Ballet
When: 28 November - 17 December 2008
Where: Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW
Being a total ballet geek I have been looking forward to seeing a dress rehearsal of the Australian Ballets Manon for months. Ok, I only scored the tickets a couple of weeks ago but I’ve been dreaming of this since I first jammed my foot into pointe shoes. Therefore when materialistic tossers trying to spend away their unhappiness Thursday night shopping threaten to make me late I am angry; so angry I almost throw up and I don’t even feel slightly tempted by those cupcakes on the backseat.
As soon as the lights go down and the music starts all the anger floats away and I begin to fall into my dream like ‘everything is beautiful at the ballet’ state. I stay that way for the rest of the night – this ballet is pure magic. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for men in tights.
Manon is a big sweeping romantic ballet with a large measure of debauchery and comedy thrown in. The set and costumes create a wondrous onstage diorama, which from the dress circle casts the dancers as tiny dolls in a make believe world reminiscent of the romance and filth of ‘Interview with a Vampire’ with scenes set in courtesan Paris and the swamps of New Orleans. Although there are no blood suckers in this story, there is plenty of hot sensual action with Manon charming and seducing her way to her own tragic downfall. From her start on her way to convent, through her travails as a kept woman Manon is the pearl of the ballet, she is a beauty who destroys herself. And who doesn’t love a trapped self-destructive woman?
The dancing is superb, particularly the large number of lifts in the lovers’ pas de deux and the beautiful extensions of Rachel Rawlins dancing the title role. A standout for brilliant footwork and dazzling jumps was Lana Jones in the role Lescaut’s mistress; her acting also providing much of the character in large group scenes.
If you are not into lame epic sagas in the outback or sparkly vampire films, or maybe you just want to impress that hot arty someone and make them feel a little lusty, this one is for you.
More information here–
