Dangerous desires, family secrets and political intrigues twist through every moment of daring choreography in Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet inspired by true events.

Mayerling is based on the true story of the deaths of Crown Prince Rudolf and his teenage mistress Vetsera in 1889. This dark intense ballet created for The Royal Ballet in 1978 and is regarded among many as Kenneth MacMillan’s finest works. Orchestrated and arranged by John Lanchbery, the music of Franz Liszt sweeps the story to its intense conclusion, and sumptuous designs by Nicolas Georgiadis bring to life the formal, oppressive world of the Austro-Hungarian court.

The large-scale crowd and court scenes show the whole Company off at its dramatic finest – but it is MacMillan’s choreography for Rudolf (Steven MacRae), one of the most technically and emotionally demanding roles in the repertory for male dancers, that makes this ballet so iconic. Rudolf’s emotional decline is charted through daring and visceral pas de deux with his mother (Kristen McNally), his wife (Meagan Grace Hinkis) and Mary Vetsera (Sarah Lamb) – choreography that pushes classical ballet to its limits.

“...the company act up a storm!” – Evening Standard ★★★★★

“The ballet is a stunning depiction of a repressed, repressive court, of lust and need and madness.” – The Independent ★★★★

“It’s a great piece of theatre and MacMillan’s dramatic skill has never been better. Nicholas Georgiadis’s opulent sets, from ballroom to bedrooms, bring a fairy-tale glamour to the stage while keeping it clear for what we are all there for – the dancing. John Lanchbery’s adaptation of Franz Liszt’s music is obviously made for dancing and the company as a whole looks terrific these days.” – The Sunday Express ★★★★

“MacMillan’s extraordinary pas de deux, violent and searingly erotic, can still take your breath away.” – The Sunday Times

Cast:
- Crown Prince Rudolf: Steven McRae
- Baroness Mary Vetsera: Sarah Lamb
- Countess Marie Larisch: Laura Morera
- Empress Elisabeth: Kristen McNally
- Princess Stephanie: Meaghan Grace Hinkis
- Mitzi Caspar: Mayara Magri
- Bratfisch: James Hay
- Emperor Franz Joseph: Gary Avis
- Colonel Middleton: Nehemiah Kish

Duration: approx. 180 minutes