Die Kameliendame

About

John Neumeier’s The Lady of the Camellias is one of the landmark narrative ballets of the 20th century, created in 1978 for Marcia Haydée and the Stuttgart Ballet and restaged for the Hamburg Ballet in 1981. Following the flashback structure of Alexandre Dumas fils’ famous 1848 novel, Neumeier interweaves the sorrow of the present with Armand’s memories of tenderness and joy with Marguerite. Set to Frédéric Chopin’s deeply moving music, the ballet unfolds as a drama of desire and sacrifice, absolute devotion, and devastating loss. Jürgen Rose’s costumes and sets, in close harmony with Neumeier’s dramaturgy, offer a feast for the eyes: opulent ball gowns, refined lines, and elegant, spare interiors that let the characters’ emotions take center stage.