Muntagirov/Kaneko Onegin Review 5*
Vadim Muntagirov and Fumi Kaneko raise Onegin to new heights in The Royal Ballet’s revival of Cranko’s masterpiece
John Cranko’s 1965 ballet Onegin, a prodigy of concise story-telling, never fails to land an emotional punch.
For dancers it offers a great opportunity to inhabit complex, flesh-and-blood characters immersed in love, jealousy, heartbreak, tragedy, loss and belated regret, while negotiating demanding choreography.
Based on Pushkin’s 19th century verse novel Eugene Onegin, it centres on four main characters: the arrogant, ennui-prone city sophisticate Onegin, the bookish teenager Tatiana, whose heart he casually breaks, her flighty younger sister Olga and Olga’s fiancé, the poet Lenksy. A fifth character, Prince Gremin, is important, too, as he embodies the honour Onegin loses when he destroys the lives of those around him.
Over 20 performances divided into two tranches this season, The Royal Ballet, currently brimming with talent at all levels, has entrusted the roles to a variety of casts old and new, each bringing something unique to their interpretation.
However, four exceptional debuts in the last matinee of May raised the ballet to new dramatic heights.
Vadim Muntagirov put his silky classical technique at the service of meticulous character development. He convincingly evolved from arrogant visitor, who coldly rejected a young girl’s love, to the killer of his friend Lensky in a duel precipitated by his reckless public toying with Olga, to a repentant broken man, crawling abjectly as he begged to recover Tatiana’s love.
The Royal Ballet, Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov in Onegin © RBO 2025 Image: Andrej Uspenski
Fumi Kaneko is a glorious dancer, marrying steely technique with a profoundly expressive, emotion-revealing body Her fragile girl soared in Onegin’s lift, as her heart encountered the novelty of love. In the bedroom pas de deux, where she dreams she’s joined by a loving Onegin, she was all rapturous abandon.
The Royal Ballet, Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov in Onegin © RBO 2025 Image: Andrej Uspenski
As Gremin’s wife in Act III she was the dignified princess, showing her husband mature, serene love; a serenity totally lost in the final scene, as her struggle to contain the passion reawakened by the return of the repentant Onegin reverberated through her every gesture with heart-rending intensity.
For me, though, there was one moment Kaneko made absolutely her own: after the duel, as Lensky lay dead, her Tatiana stood before Onegin, slowly unfolded her hunched shoulders and, no longer the infatuated girl, fixed him with a glare of such unforgiving accusation that the enormity of his crime suddenly sank in.
Great performances are marked by moments like this.
Also remarkable were the debuts of Marco Masciari as Lensky and Ella Newton Severgnini as Olga, all the more so because they come from the lower ranks of the company.
First Artist Masciari always catches the eye even in ensemble roles, his fine technique and elegant line a pleasure to watch. Here he grabbed at the chance to create a memorable character: from carefree young man to lover consumed by jealousy, his pre-duel solo with its premonition of death and loss, lamenting what might have been, was impeccably danced – beautiful yearning balances in arabesque – and cut straight to the heart.
The Royal Ballet, Marco Masciari as Lensky in Onegin © RBO 2025 Image: Andrej Uspenski
Masciari’s marker for promotion to soloist couldn’t have been clearer.
The very musical Ella Newton Severgnini was a delightful, vivacious Olga and there was fine chemistry between herself and Masciari.
And the veteran Gary Avis, a chameleonic dance actor, was a dignified Gremin and an attentive, loving partner to Kaneko.
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House under the baton of Wolfgang Heinz, gave a splendid, crisp rendition of Tchaikovsky’s passionate score.
It was truly a memorable, haunting performance.
© Teresa Guerreiro
(Banner image credit: The Royal Ballet, Vadim Muntagirov and Fumi Kaneko in Onegin © RBO 2025 Image: Andrej Uspenski)
Onegin is in repertoire at the RBO until 12th June 2025. Details and tickets here
Vadim Muntagirov and Fumi Kaneko return as Onegin and Tatiana on 4th and 11th June at 7.30 pm