© John Ross RB 'Manon' reviews 'Manon' reviews RB 'Sylvia' reviews 'Sylvia' reviews Benjamin in reviews Kobborg in reviews recent RB reviews more Natasha Rogai reviews Discuss this review (Open for at least 6 months) Manon Photographs (2005) Sylvia Photographs (2008)

Sylvia is far from Ashton’s best work. It is handicapped by a risible plot (nymphs and gods behaving unconvincingly in a mythical Greek setting) which is the albatross hung about the neck of the celebrated score by Leo Delibes. Act 1 in particular suffers from longueurs and it is not hard to see why Ashton himself was not satisfied with the ballet. The lack of dramatic coherence in the story leaves characterization minimal. Most crucially, the choreography is rarely inspired other than in the roles of Sylvia herself and Eros, which show to the full their creator’s trademark musicality and intricate, subtle footwork. I also liked the lively, eccentric dance for the slaves in Act 2. The costumes and sets are pleasing, but accentuate the period piece nature of the work.

This is a ballet which stands or falls by the excellence of the dancing and in Marianela Nunez the title role has an ideal interpreter. A dancer of prodigious technical gifts and impeccable schooling, she made this hugely difficult part look easy, combining steely virtuosity with a refreshingly natural warmth and charm. Her account of the famous pizzicato solo in Act 3 was dazzling. In support, the strongest performance came from Thiago Soares as a rip-roaring Orion with dancing of sensational speed and power. Rupert Pennefather looked well and partnered beautifully in the big pas de deux, but could do little to make the rather feeble Aminta interesting, Joshua Tuifua was a notably musical Eros.
 

In contrast Manon, one of the greatest narrative ballets ever made, is remarkable for the realism with which it depicts the emotions and psychology of its characters. This work has such a wealth of content – dramatic and choreographic – that it must be seen many times to be fully appreciated. Indeed, there is so much going on, especially in Act 2, that it is difficult to know where to look for fear of missing something elswhere on the stage. It is further enhanced by the sumptuous designs of Nicholas Georgiadis and the music of Jules Masssenet, arranged by Leighton Lucas and Hilda Gaunt into a haunting and dramatically effective score.

Hong Kong was fortunate to see three top-notch casts in the leads : Tamara Rojo and Federigo Bonelli, with Jose Martin as Lescaut; Mara Galeazzi with Edward Watson and Thiago Soares; and Leanne Benjamin with Johan Kobborg and Viacheslav Samodurov.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Manon is the range of interpretations which can be brought to the title role. Rojo plays her as a greedy child – wide-eyed at her first glimpse of the big city, ecstatic at her first love, revelling in the attention of the men in Act 2, participating gleefully in Lescaut’s plots. While not ideally suited physically to a role created on Penney and Sibley, Rojo danced with freedom and gave a performance full of dramatic intelligence and detail, rising to moments of sublime passion and despair. Galeazzi is a weaker character and more of a victim – dominated by the brother she adores, tempted by the jewels, drained and exhausted at the end. Benjamin is the feistiest Manon I can recall – the decision to accept Monsieur GM’s offer is reluctant, her love for Des Grieux evident throughout and she reacts to being passed from hand to hand in the brothel and “rewarded” with the diamond bracelet with ill-concealed loathing.

The performances of all three casts were even more impressive in that none of the ballerinas was dancing with her regular Des Grieux. The most experienced couple, Benjamin and Kobborg, danced the hugely demanding pas de deux with the greatest confidence and apparent lack of effort. They were also the best matched in dramatic power – the quarrel at the end of Act 2 was electrifying, I have never seen it done so well. Kobborg may not have the length of line for Des Grieux, but danced with glorious control and his reading of the role was detailed, true and totally convincing. Bonelli partnered strongly and conveyed Des Grieux’s ardour and anguish well, particularly in Act 3, but while he has the natural elegance for the role he did not make all the steps as clear and clean as they should be. Watson was a last minute replacement for an injured David Makhateli and not surprisingly he and Galeazzi were somewhat tentative in the big Act 1 pas de deux (one lift was muffed, though they disguised it well), but they grew in confidence as they went on. Watson brought a flowing beauty of line to the solos and above all, invested every movement with meaning. To give a performance of such depth and intensity in only his third appearance in the role is remarkable and I cannot wait to see how he develops it in the future.

One small quibble – it seemed to me that Kobborg and Benjamin were the only ones to dance all the choreography exactly as I remember it from the original cast. There is a fine line between freedom of interpretation and changing the steps - care needs to be taken not to cross it.

All three Lescauts were superb – dancing honours went to Jose Martin for his exceptional ballon, while Soares and Samodurov scored strongly dramatically, Soares being the most moving at the end of Act 2 and Samodurov the funniest in the drunken scene. Of the three Mistresses, the standout was Nunez, confirming that her extraordinary technique is now matched by strong stage presence and acting ability.

The whole company danced and acted magnificently in support. Paul Kay was an appealing Chief Beggar, Lauren Cuthbertson and Isobel McMeekan made much of the two quarreling courtesans. Outstanding character dancers should be one of the hallmarks of a great company – smaller troupes can rarely afford to keep non-dancing performers full time – and the RB is particularly blessed in that regard. It was a privilege to see artists of the quality of Elizabeth McGorian and Genesia Rosato as the Madame, Christopher Saunders and Gary Avis as Monsieur GM, Thomas Whitehead and Avis as the Gaoler. Performances like these add immeasurably to the rich texture which makes Manon such a supremely satisfying work.

There was fine accompaniment from the Hong Kong Sinfonietta under conductors Graham Bond (Sylvia) and Martin Yates (Manon) and it was heartening to see the often lukewarm local audience give the company such a warm reception. On a less happy note, the stage at the HK Cultural Centre Grand Theatre is simply too small for productions on this scale, cramping the dancers and demonstrating how much Hong Kong needs a better venue if we are to accommodate visiting companies of this stature.