Mayerling, The Royal Ballet, 27/10/2009 & 02/11/2009

This was my second shot at Mayerling. I'd almost completely forgotten the story, perhaps understandably, given this ballet probably has more female principal roles than most other full-length ballets collectively! I was fortunate enough to see two different casts dancing, and the two performances could not have been more different.

The first cast was relatively inexperienced (Rupert Pennefather as Prince Rudolph (pictured), Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera (pictured) and Marianela Nunez as Countess Larisch), while the second sported near-celebrity Carlos Acosta, with Tamara Rojo as Mary Vetsera. Mayerling is definitely a ballet that centres around the rather macabre character of Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria-Hungary. The identities of the various female roles that orbit around him are almost irrelevant (which is good if you're watching from the back of the amphitheatre) - the story is an inevitable spiral towards its chilling finish. He is a destructive and violent character, obsessed with death.

Rupert Pennefather and Carlos Acosta acted the part almost entirely differently. Acosta's Rudolph was an aggressive brute through and through - there was no question who was in charge in his more violent pas de deux with his new wife (Iohna Loots). And yet, somehow there was a lack of emotional complexity beyond this brutishness in his performance (something I often find with Acosta, although many disagree with me here!). Technically, however he was fantastic. It never ceases to amaze me how a man as large as him can land so softly from leaps! Rupert Pennefather played a more emotionally tortured almost passive aggressive Rudolph. Although at times while watching you felt that he needed to be more assertive and controlling with his dancing and general attitude to others on stage during the connecting scenes, I found his performance far more unnerving than Acosta's. He brought a sense of unhinged confusion and obsession to the role of Rudolph, which would have been lost in a more forceful interpretation of the role. Pennefather's performance was aided by that of Melissa Hamilton (Mary Vetsera), who brought a very believable adventurous foolishness and sexuality to her portrayal of this misled seventeen year old. If I hadn't known beforehand, I would never have realised she was ranked several tiers lower in the hierarchy than co-female lead Marianela Nunez. Tamara Rojo, although a sensational dancer (and she and Acosta really do dance so well together) didn't quite bring the same naive realness to her interpretation of the role.

All in all both casts were very strong, with other noteworthy performances from Laura Morera as Mitzi Caspar (Rudolph's mistress), and Elizabeth Harrod as Princess Stephanie (Rudolph's Wife). Unsurprisingly (the man's a genius!)Kenneth MacMillan's choreography is utterly captivating, even if I do find Mayerling a strange ballet to watch; while I can easily decipher the emotions being danced on stage, but it is difficult to get sucked in completely and engage yourself in the characters' relationships...mostly because they are all slightly twisted! The last scene sent shivers down my spine at both performances. Excellent eeriness through and through.