Mayerling is The Royal Ballet’s revival of the 1978 creation by Kenneth Macmillan. Federico Bonelli’s portrayal of the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary is mesmerising. In particular the scene where the Prince is trying to make it up with his wife Princess Stephanie, played by Meaghan Grace Hinkis, on their wedding night, is powerful and intense. The dancers’ bodies showcase a feat of supreme strength, the sequence before he takes his newly wedded wife to bed, is one of the best between Bonelli and Hinkis.
Courtesy of the Royal Opera House.