Ballet Shines On A Dark Tale
The Age
Monday September 15, 2008
DANCE REVIEW: MANON The Australian Ballet,
State Theatre, Arts Centre, September 12. Until September 23. Running time: 151 minutes www.australian ballet.com.auMANON is a story ballet with an edge. Choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan has created a world where men are lecherous, women are lascivious and even the most ornate ballroom fails to conceal the depravity within. Kirsty Martin brings the title role to life as an ingenue who sacrifices true love with a young student, Des Grieux (Robert Curran), for the wealth promised by a much older benefactor, Monsieur GM (Steven Heathcote). Orchestrating the relationship between his sister and Monsieur GM is Manon's greedy and conniving brother, Lescaut (Luke Ingham), who drunkenly cavorts around the stage, clumsily fondling his long-suffering, and equally inebriated, mistress (Danielle Rowe). Manon's manipulation is played out in a striking pas de trois in which Lescaut offers his sister to the smitten Monsieur, yet reclaims her until payment is given. Later, Manon's transformation from virgin to seductress is complete as, self-absorbed and satisfied, she is passed from man to man, unconcerned that she has allowed her body to be traded for the jewels sparkling around her neck. In the world of Manon, even the most innocent of characters succumbs to temptation, and redemption is nowhere to be found. Des Grieux undergoes a transformation of his own, trading love, albeit reluctantly, for a few coins. Manon is eventually betrayed by her vindictive benefactor and shipped to the wild swamps of Louisiana as a convicted prostitute. Battered, broken and looking incredibly waif-like with shorn hair, she dies in the arms of Des Grieux.In a ballet that relies so completely on narrative and character development, Martin shines, bringing performance maturity and depth to a complex character. Her success in the role is so complete that she outperforms her partner, Curran, who comes across as stiff and academic through much of the ballet. His performance lacks the passion and internal struggle required to create a sympathetic Des Grieux, or to balance Martin's beautifully pitched Manon. Even Ingram, given the plum character role of the drunken and manipulative Lescaut, struggles to maintain character throughout the long evening. Excellent performances are given by Rowe, Tzu-Chao Chou as the beggar chief and Heathcote, looking quite dapper as the malevolent Monsieur GM. Set to Jules Massenet's rich and romantic score, Manon demonstrates that ballet can be so much more than a fairytale.
© 2008 The Age