Manon – Royal Opera House, London

Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Time: 19:30
Duration: 03:00
Venue: Royal Opera House
Address: Bow St, London, UK
City: London
Organisation: Royal Ballet and Opera
Work: Manon

About this event

Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon is a dramatic full-length ballet created for The Royal Ballet in 1974, now a signature work of the company. MacMillan explores human psychology and moral decay in pre-Revolutionary France, shifting the action to a later period than Abbé Prévost’s original 1731 novel. Nicholas Georgiadis’s designs, meticulously researched from period paintings and prints, surround the dancers with striking contrasts of wealth and squalor—from a seedy inn and lovers’ sparse lodgings to the opulence of Madame’s hotel particulier. The score is drawn from lesser-known Massenet pieces, compiled by Leighton Lucas with input from pianist Hilda Gaunt, orchestrated by John Lanchbery with additions by Martin Yates, creating a musical identity distinct from Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. This 2026/27 Season revival opens The Royal Ballet’s year and will be broadcast to cinemas worldwide as part of the Royal Ballet and Opera Cinema Season, presented within the company’s Heritage Works strand.

Cast & creative

Choreographer
Kenneth MacMillan
M
Music Arranger
Martin Yates
Set designer
Nikos Georgiadis
Lighting designer
Jacopo Pantani
J
Composer
Jules Massenet
K
Conductor
Koen Kessels
Conductor
Martin Georgiev
Des Grieux
Matthew Ball
M
Des Grieux
Marcelino Sambé
Manon
Natalia Osipova
P
Des Grieux
Patricio Revé
S
Manon
Sarah Lamb
S
Des Grieux
Steven McRae
F
Manon
Francesca Hayward
L
Manon
Lauren Cuthbertson
Y
Manon
Yasmine Naghdi

Tickets