Over the holiday weekend, The Royal Ballet will be at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with three performances of Mayerling. The ballet was created in 1978 by Kenneth MacMillan for The Royal Ballet and it will be performed Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a live orchestra.

Mayerling, set to the music of Franz Liszt, tells the story of Austria-Hungarian Crown Prince Rudolf who is obsessed with death. His family forces him to marry Princess Stephanie. This increases the instability of an already unhappy man. Marie Larisch, his former lover, introduces him to a young lady who is equally fascinated by death, Mary Vetsera. What happens over the course of three hours will prove to be tragic.

The ballet calls for some quiet and intimate work, but also showcases the full company. These three performances mark the first time in 24 years that The Royal Ballet has performed in Los Angeles.

The cast for Friday’s performances includes Ryoichi Hirano, Natalia Osipova, Sarah Lamb, Kristen McNally, Francesa Hayward, Marianela Nuñez, Alexander Campbell, Christopher Saunders and Gary Avis.

Saturday’s cast features Matthew Ball, Sarah Lamb, Laura Morerz, Itziar Mendizabal, Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Mayara Magri, James Hay, Gary Avis and Nehemiah Kish

Sunday the cast will be Thiago Soares, Lauren Cuthbertson, Itziar Mendizabal, Lara Turk, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Claire Calvert, Paul Kay, Alastair Marriott and Gary Avis.

Due to adult themes Mayerling is recommended for audiences age 12 and above. Haze and gun shots are both used in the production.

At press time the best availability was for Sunday’s matinee. However, the Saturday evening performance had the largest number of closer seats available.

Photo:  Lauren Cuthbertson and Thiago Soares in Mayerling/ Photo by Helen Maybanks ROH

Courtesy of The Music Center

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