Liszt: Mayerling (The Royal Ballet)

Edward Watson (Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary); Mara Galeazzi (Baroness Mary Vetsera);

"…while Mara Galeazzi as Mary Vetsera nearly stole the show with her natural conviction, exuberance and authoritative technique, the evening belonged to Watson as Rudolf, one of the most challenging male roles ever created." (The Sunday Express )

Liszt: Mayerling (The Royal Ballet)

Steven McRae (Crown Prince Rudolf); Sarah Lamb (Baroness Mary Vetsera); Laura Morera (Countess Marie Larisch); Kristen McNally (Empress Elisabeth); Meaghan Grace Hinkis (Princess Stephanie); Mayara Magri (Mitzi Caspar); James Hay (Bratfisch); Gary Avis (Emperor Franz Joseph); Nehemiah Kish (Colonel Middleton); Elizabeth McGorian (Baroness Helene Vetsera); Catherine Carby (Katherina Schratt);

"The Royal Ballet season opens with a plunge into glittering darkness. Created for this company 40 years ago, Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling presents the steep decline of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, who died in a murder-suicide with his teenaged mistress, Mary Vetsera. The ballet is a stunning depiction of a repressed, repressive court, of lust and need and madness. Rudolf is one of the most demanding male roles in ballet, the heart of a long, complex drama. MacMillan traces Rudolf’s fall from his marriage to his death, with athletic duets with his wife, his mother and several mistresses." (The Independent ★★★★)

MacMillan /Massenet: Manon (The Royal Ballet)

Kenneth MacMillan’s retelling of Abbé Prévost’s cautionary tale of a young man brought low by an amoral young beauty has been a mainstay of the Royal Ballet repertoire since 1974. The current revival is vividly played and danced by some first-rate casts. (The Financial Times ★★★★★); Vadim Muntagirov made his debut as Des Grieux, bringing puppyish, longing and a beautiful, long line to the characters yearning solos. As Manon, Sarah Lamb was heart-breaking, the delicious delicacy of her early scenes replaced by an overwhelming sensual pleasure in her own power, and finally despair. (The Telegraph ★★★★); The Daily Express ★★★★★) (Irresistible…);

Marston: The Cellist / Robbins: Dances at a Gathering (The Royal Ballet)

Lauren Cuthbertson (The Cellist); Marcelino Sambé (The Instrument (The Cellist)); Matthew Ball (The Conductor (The Cellist)); Marianela Nuñez (Dances at a Gathering); Francesca Hayward (Dances at a Gathering); Yasmine Naghdi (Dances at a Gathering); Laura Morera (Dances at a Gathering); Fumi Kaneko (Dances at a Gathering); Alexander Campbell (Dances at a Gathering); Federico Bonelli (Dances at a Gathering); William Bracewell (Dances at a Gathering); Luca Acri (Dances at a Gathering); Valentino Zucchetti (Dances at a Gathering);

"…Francesca Hayward, Laura Morera and a dropdead- magnificent Alexander Campbell the first among excellent equals in this first-rate work." (The Telegraph ★★★★★)

Marston: Victoria (Northern Ballet)

Abigail Prudames (Victoria); Joseph Taylor (Albert); Pippa Moore (Older Princess Beatrice); Miki Akuta (Young Princess Beatrice); Mlindi Kulashe (John Brown); Sean Bates (Liko); Filippo Di Vilio (Benjamin Disraeli); Riku Ito (Lord Melbourne); Gavin McCaig (William Gladstone / Uncle Leopold); Minju Kang (Victorie); Matthew Topliss (Conroy);

"Thoughtful, ambitious and vividly danced, it’s another success for a company going from strength to strength" (The Independent ★★★★)

McGregor / Richter: Woolf Works (The Royal Ballet)

Alessandra Ferri (Dancer); Gary Avis (Dancer); Matthew Ball (Dancer); Federico Bonelli (Dancer); Francesca Hayward (Dancer); Paul Kay (Dancer); Sarah Lamb (Dancer); Steven McRae (Dancer); Natalia Osipova (Dancer); Calvin Richardson (Dancer); Beatriz Stix-Brunell (Dancer); Akane Takada (Dancer); Eric Underwood (Dancer); Edward Watson (Dancer); Anush Hovhannisyan (Soprano); Gillian Anderson (Speaker);

"At its creation in 2015, Woolf Works felt like a breakthrough for choreographer Wayne McGregor, adding a new emotional weight to his athletic force and fascination with technology. In this first revival, it’s even stronger, with Alessandra Ferri luminous as the Virginia Woolf figure… It’s a thoughtful, heartfelt performance in a ballet that is both intelligent and tender." (The Independent ★★★★)