The Royal Ballet’s Mayerling: violent, feral, tortured dance

Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera and Matthew Ball as Crown Prince Rudolf in MacMillan's Mayerling

Luca Acri as Bratfisch with The Royal Ballet in MacMillan’s Mayerling

The Royal Ballet in Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling

Mariko Sasaki as Mitzi Caspar with The Royal Ballet in MacMillan's Mayerling

Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera and Matthew Ball as Crown Prince Rudolf in MacMillan's Mayerling

Matthew Ball as Crown Prince Rudolf in Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling

Par Graham Watts, 31 mars 2026

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“Mayerling is rightly regarded as a rite of passage for leading male dancers”

Critique faite à Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Londres, le 30 mars 2026

Mayerling (Sir Kenneth MacMillan)

The Royal Ballet

Martin Georgiev, Direction

Nicholas Georgiadis, Décors, Costumes

John B. Read, Lumières

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

La danse macabre de Mayerling entre au répertoire de l'Opéra de Paris

Jade Larine, 25th October

Drame sulfureux en trois actes s’inscrivant dans la veine des grandes fresques narratives léguées par MacMillan, Mayerling laisse un goût d'inachevé malgré la belle prestation du Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris.

***11

Manon MacMillan à l'Opéra de Paris

Laurine Mortha, 20th April

Désormais véritable chef-d’œuvre du ballet classique, L’Histoire de Manon nous emmène au travers des transports amoureux, du remord et de la trahison qui secouent la destinée tragique de deux jeunes gens, dans une trame simple mais restée très puissante.

****1

National Ballet of Japan's revival of Manon was devastatingly good

Naomi Mori, 19th March

National Ballet of Japan in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon has been revived six years after its performances were cancelled because of the pandemic. Exceptionally good interpretations led the opening night performance.

****1

Ballet superstars in Frankfurt for a night to savour

Vikki Jane Vile, 30th November

For one night only, audiences in Frankfurt were treated to some world class ballet on the expansive stage of the Jahrhunderthalle.

****1

ENB’s The Sleeping Beauty: disappointing cuts skew the story

Jonathan Gray, 27th November

English National Ballet's revival of the Tchaikovsky classic The Sleeping Beauty, disappoints at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

***11

Ballet Nights makes an impressive and unforgettable Scottish debut

Kathy Elgin, 4th July

Ballet Nights is more than an evening of party pieces: it showcases emerging talent alongside older favourites and, in the case of this first Scottish outing, has an eye to local tradition.

****1

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Graham Watts

Graham Watts is a freelance dance writer and critic writing regularly for Dancing Times, Dance Europe, Danza Europa, and many more publications. He regularly writes features for Sadler’s Wells, London Coliseum and La Scala. Chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle in the United Kingdom and of the UK National Dance Awards he has interviewed many of the greatest names in dance including Maya Plisetskaya, Vladimir Vasiliev, Boris Eifman, Alexei Ratmansky, Andris Liepa, Sir Peter Wright, David Bintley and Dame Gillian Lynne. When not involved in dance Graham is a keen fencer, and has captained the British Sabre team.