Onegin 2024
A young country girl, Tatiana, is introduced to a worldly aristocrat by her sister’s fiancé. Onegin instantly becomes Tatiana’s heart’s desire, though, in his eyes, she remains naive and uninteresting. Thus begins the tale that leads to a tragic duel, a royal marriage, and personal redemption. Based on the verse-novel Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, John Cranko’s majestic and astounding ballet allows the strength and agency of our romantic heroine to shine through.
Cast
- Denis Prytkov as Vladimir Lensky
- Yelizaveta “Liza” Moryak as Tatiana Larina (also tr. Tatyana Larina)
- Tatyana Sabinova as Olga Larina
- Alyona Khmelnitskaya as Praskovya Larina, Olga Larina and Tatiana Larina’s mother
- Tatyana Lyutaeva as Princess Alina
- Olga Tumaykina as Madame Skotinina
- Oleg Kamenshchikov as a salesman
- Vladimir Vdovichenkov as narrator (author’s voice)
- Aleksandr Yatsko as Prince
Review
Who’s the hotter property in the opera world right now: Ted Huffman the librettist and director of zeitgeisty new works? Or Ted Huffman the director of streamlined, impactful productions of the classics? That second reputation is enhanced by his Royal Opera main stage debut, a new staging of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
There’s no real set to speak of in Hyemi Shin’s design, just metres of wide-open stage – a black background, a few chairs, falling snow. The village where country-mouse Tatyana grows up is clothed (by Astrid Klein) in muted pastels; then, at the city ball, penguin-suited sophisticates tango to Tchaikovsky’s polonaise while glowing white chandeliers slowly descend like synchronised jellyfish. That, though, is as fussy as this gets – the focus stays on the compelling performances Huffman has elicited from his cast and the everything-I-know-about-love story they tell.
