“Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump.”
The muffled yet anxious sound of beating surrounds the silent auditorium room, hinting at the immediate fate of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, and his mistress, Baroness Mary von Vetsera.
Photo: Ann Ray
Like almost all background stories of other ballet, Mayerling is also a tragic love story that ends with the death of both Rudolf and Mary. While Mayerling is not simply written by a melancholic writer, it’s based on a historical murder-suicide incident in 1889 during the period of Austria-Hungary.
2022, this choreography of Sir Kenneth MacMillan adapted from the true incident has its French premiere in Palais Garnier by Ballet Opéra de Paris; led by Hugo Marchand and Dorothée Gilbert. Of course, I need to order tickets to watch this ballet that I have been having strong admiration and curiosity because of its reputation.
Also, to see two of my favourite ballet dancers.
Photo: Ann Ray
Hugo’s dance and interpretation of characters always attract me enormously; especially, I adore how he portrays madmen.
Putting aside the medical and psychological reasons why Crown Prince Rudolf had such extreme and outrageous behaviours, for ballet audiences, he is simply a madman who keeps asking his lovers to commit suicide with him due to the dissatisfaction of his arranged wife and the royalty.
In Hugo’s interpretation of Rudolf, I feel a wave of extremely strong anger and boredom toward everything in his life. It seems like while Hugo is dancing, every part of his muscle is expressing Rudolf’s frustration, I sense firmly the craziness that is happening on stage, the yearning of destroying everything before the annihilation of himself.
Photo: Ann Ray
Dorothée, on the other hand, always convinces us that she’s a teenage girl who is so naif with love by giving audiences her bright and airy dancing style. Seeing Dorothée on stage, audiences witness how young Baroness Mary is so curious about a mature man, who is so mysterious and fierce under that gloomy air.
The Mary of Dorothée is a reckless girl, she tries to put on a fearless act that meets the maturity of manhood.
Hugo and Dorothée illustrate to us a tragic couple whom the audience can foresee their doom as soon as they start their extremely passionate, sensual yet toxic pas de deux.
Photo: Ann Ray
Another character who catches my eye is Countess Marie Larisch by Hannah O’Neill. Ever since I watched her performance as the fairy Queen, Titania in A Midsummer night’s dream, I’ve been falling in love with this first dancer who has a strikingly beautiful smile.
In Hannah’s dance, I see an ambitious aunt who strategically introduces her young niece, Mary, to Rudolf not only to strengthen the authority of her family but also to approach or even to reunite with Rudolf, who is the former lover of Countess Marie at the same time.
Hannah portrays us as a Countess who seems to be so wicked; however, audiences can detect that her action is driven by a love of no return. It may seem that Marie uses her niece to connect herself deeper with Rudolf, but during the scene when the Countess gives Mary a fortune telling, Marie’s love for her niece is revealed fully in Hannah’s body mouvement.
Photo: Ann Ray
Dance is a kind of language without a voice. Up in the box seat on the fourth floor, the facial expressions of dancers are unclear unless with binoculars. Nonetheless, these dancers on stage have delivered us strong emotions of the characters in Mayerling: the struggle of Rudolph, the unconditional love of Mary, and the calculation of Marie.
