Onegin, Royal Ballet: Marianela Nuñez defies ageism and dances with flair

Reece Clarke as Onegin and Marianela Nuñez as Tatiana
Reece Clarke as Onegin and Marianela Nuñez as Tatiana - Alastair Muir

A packed and unusually buzzing house on Wednesday evening reminded one just how popular Onegin is. Which, in theory, might come as a surprise. After all, its creator, John Cranko, was not in the same league as those twin geniuses of British ballet: not the subtle, seraphic poet that Frederick Ashton was, nor as fearless or trailblazing an explorer of the human psyche as Kenneth MacMillan. And do the crowd scenes in this three-acter sometimes smack of filler? I fear so.

Nevertheless, there is a tenderness, a kind of dyed-in-the-wool humanity about Cranko’s work, and this handsomely designed adaptation of Pushkin’s 1833 verse novel (made in 1965 for Stuttgart Ballet, and in the Royal Ballet’s rep since 2001) has several further, specific strings to its bow: a marvellously streamlined, crystal-clear narrative (no real need to read to the synopsis beforehand); an affecting score stitched together by composer Kurt-Heinz Stolze from various pieces by Tchaikovsky; and an unusual chance for four lead dancers to shine.

And shine they did on the opening night of this revival. Last time I saw Reece Clarke tackle the titular jaded dandy, five years ago almost to the day, I’d wager he was scared stiff. Then just 23, and not yet a principal, he was a last-minute stand-in for an injured Vadim Mutagirov, and making his debut opposite three of the Royal Ballet’s established A-listers: a nail-biting challenge and then some.

But, if he was good then, he is better still now. The handsome Scot is a whisker off 6ft 3in – pretty much as tall as it is possible for a world-class dancer to be, and a height that can all too easily lead to gangliness. But he has the technique and physical strength to capitalise on his loftiness. He makes Onegin an attention-grabbing and fully convincing so-and-so in the first two acts, his splendid frame seeming to crumple completely in the third as, having earlier rejected Tatiana out of hand, it is she who now sends him packing.

Akana Takada as Olga and William Bracewell as Lensky
Akana Takada as Olga and William Bracewell as Lensky - Alastair Muir

That this final, climactic pas de deux packed such an emotional wallop on Wednesday was also due to Marianela Nuñez’s finely observed Tatiana, and the volcanic chemistry that suddenly erupted between the couple. Having in Act I understatedly banished any lingering fears about a 42-year-old playing a particularly guileless teenager, she here carried off the transformation into worldly princess with real brio. Together, this markedly good-looking duo made you realise that this pas de deux in fact is superior choreography, a cleverly constructed knot of delight, desire, misery and regret, and here made deeply moving.

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Full marks, too, to William Bracewell as Onegin’s initially dear, ultimately doomed friend Lensky. Unabashedly adoring with his fiancée Olga – Tatiana’s younger sister, whose flirting with Onegin leads to disaster – he also delivered two beautifully etched solos: his Act I declaration of love, and then, a kind of grim echo, his Act II cry of anguish as the duel with Onegin approaches.

Reece Clarke as Onegin and Marianela Nuñez as Tatiana
Reece Clarke as Onegin and Marianela Nuñez as Tatiana - Alastair Muir

As for Akane Takada as Olga, she vividly captures the character’s youth and flightiness, but at the same time needs to show more resistance to Onegin as he resumes his flirting at the Act II party. Lensky has already made his outrage at this evident, and Olga finally seems to grasp this; it makes little sense that she would then fall straight back into Onegin’s arms so willingly.

Still, a small glitch in an evening that completely belied its substantial two-and-a-half-hour length, the house orchestra delivering the score with panache. The gold-standard tragedy of MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet returns to Covent Garden in March; but for now, this will do very nicely indeed.

In rep until Feb 25, then returning in May. Tickets: 020 7304 4000; rbo.org.uk