Manon review: Francesca Hayward’s extraordinary presence brightens this tale of love and riches

The plot of Manon is driven by how much everyone wants the heroine. In the title role of Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet, Francesca Hayward has a glow and charisma that turns all heads. From the opulence of the brothel to her prison rags, her extraordinary presence shines out, disrupting everything around her.

Created in 1974, and going on to become one of the most popular in the Royal Ballet repertory, Manon is an 18th-century tale of riches and desperate poverty. Manon’s brother Lescaut is urging her into expensive prostitution when she falls for the naive Des Grieux. Trying to have both love and riches, she ends up losing everything.

One of the Royal Ballet’s brightest stars, Hayward has a ravishing flow of movement, with mercurial speed and temperament. Her Manon soaks up admiration but she’s not a passive object of desire. As she dances with Marcelino Sambé’s elegant, ardent Des Grieux, her gaze turns hungry. In the decadent trio of Manon, her brother, and her rich patron Monsieur GM, she is swung between the two men, both languid and calculating. As she allows them to wind her into different shapes, we can see her making choices.

Throughout, Hayward phrases her steps with vivid drama. Meeting Des Grieux again, she recoils in fast, fluttering steps: an emotional reaction that Manon can’t quite control. In their quarrel, there’s an angry snap to her movements, giving the duet a sizzle of fury.

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As Des Grieux, Sambé dances in long, lyrical lines, pouring out his steps with besotted grace. His technique is gorgeous, though he could give the drama more momentum. He’s endearingly clueless in the scene where he cheats at cards, hand hovering blatantly over the hidden aces in his pocket. 

Alexander Campbell makes a forceful Lescaut, quick-witted and aggressive. He underplays the character’s casual charm but shows his blunt drive for survival. As his mistress, Mayara Magri dances with bold attack. Her power is a fine contrast to Hayward’s delicacy: they have different battles, within the same corrupt world. Yuhui Choe and Melissa Hamilton are spiteful and delicate as squabbling courtesans. Gary Avis is an ice-cold GM, only too eager to punish any affront to his dignity. This revival shows off the company’s sense of drama. In its crowded, greedy onstage world, every beggar, courtesan, client, or thief is busily chasing the main chance.

Royal Opera House, until 8 March