Onegin

The production, which will premiere at the National Theatre, requires from the performers expressive acting, brilliant dance technique and a profound sense for a range of emotional portrayal of the individual characters.

Eugene Onegin, a novel in verse written by the Russian Romantic author Alexander Sergeyevich Pushin, ranks among the best-known and most popular titles of global literature. The story of Onegin, a smug, selfish and world-weary Saint Petersburg dandy, and the shy country girl Tatiana, and their ill-fated love. The protagonists of Pushkin’s drama first entered the stage owing to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who in 1878 composed an eponymous opera. John Cranko created his adaptation in 1965 for the Stuttgarter Ballett, starring Marcia Haydée (Tatiana) and Ray Barra (Onegin). The Czech audience had the first opportunity to see Cranko’s Onegin in 1982. John Cranko’s Onegin, deemed a treasure of the international ballet legacy, has been a staple of the repertoire of the major theatres worldwide. The production visually evokes the atmosphere of Pushkin’s novel in verse, with the romantic impression being enhanced by the wonderful costumes designed by Elisabeth Dalton.