The Royal Ballet opens its 2026/27 season with Manon and a live cinema relay
Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon returns to The Royal Opera House to open The Royal Ballet’s 2026/27 season, running from 13 October to 25 November 2026. The revival also includes a live cinema relay on 27 October, bringing one of the company’s most celebrated productions to audiences worldwide.
Based on Abbé Prévost’s 1731 novel Manon Lescaut, MacMillan’s ballet premiered for The Royal Ballet in 1974 and remains one of the choreographer’s most powerful narrative works. Through intensely emotional pas de deux and sharply observed characterisation, it charts the tragic relationship between the young lovers Manon and Des Grieux against a backdrop of wealth, poverty and exploitation.
The production, with designs by Nicholas Georgiadis, was created for Royal Ballet stars Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell, whose performances at the premiere were met with a standing ovation. Today, Manon continues to be a cornerstone of The Royal Ballet repertoire.
This revival will feature several role debuts. Mayara Magri will dance Manon for the first time, while Cesar Corrales and Patricio Revé make their debuts as Des Grieux. Paris Opera Ballet Étoile Hugo Marchand joins the run as a guest artist, partnering Marianela Nuñez in selected November performances.
The live cinema broadcast on Tuesday 27 October at 7.15pm GMT will feature Yasmine Naghdi as Manon and William Bracewell as Des Grieux.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
