Skip to main content
A danseur dressed as a plant.

The Dream / Marguerite and Armand

10 – 25 November 2023

In the Joan Sutherland Theatre | The Australian Ballet | Dance

A double bill from Frederick Ashton, featuring The Dream; an airy, romantic homage to A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Marguerite and Armand; a tragic love affair of pure passion.

A double bill by Frederick Ashton

The Dream

Part one of our Frederick Ashton double-bill is The Dream, an airy, romantic work created to celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth, and a homage to his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Set in an enchanted wood, Ashton’s ballet captures the play's themes of love and magic, exploring a poetic space of imagination away from the ‘everyday world.’ Set to Mendelssohn’s tender score, The Dream features vivid characters and a storyline transporting audiences to a realm where the human meets the supernatural.

Marguerite and Armand

Created for, and made famous by, the legendary partnership of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in 1963, Marguerite and Armand brings the passion of a tragic affair between the doomed courtesan Marguerite and her lover Armand, framed through a series of flashbacks. Frederick Ashton created these roles from the passion that Fonteyn and Nureyev embodied when dancing together. In an Australian premiere, this work will equally serve as a vehicle for the artists of this company. Franz Liszt’s music pulses through each scene, including his famous Piano Sonata in B minor, enhancing the emotional intensity of this unforgettable ballet.

Presented by The Australian Ballet, with Opera Australia Orchestra

A danseur and a ballerina doing ballet.

Trailer

Ashton played an integral role in shaping the repertoire of The Australian Ballet, so it seems appropriate to welcome Marguerite and Armand to the repertoire. Made famous by Fonteyn and Nureyev, this ballet will showcase the depth of the title roles through the dancers of this company.

David Hallberg, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet

Production credits

The Dream

Choreography
Frederick Ashton

Music 
Felix Mendelssohn arranged by John Lanchbery

Costume and set design 
David Walker

Lighting design 
John B Read

Choreography 
Frederick Ashton

Marguerite and Armand

Choreography 
Frederick Ashton

Music 
Franz Liszt orchestrated by Dudley Simpson

Costume and set design 
Sir Cecil Beaton

Lighting design 
John B Read

Other information

You may also like

A man with grey hairs in green sweater sitting on the chair.
oa-gioconda-16x9-hero
9 - 12 Aug 2023 Opera

La Gioconda in Concert

Witness the world’s leading tenor Jonas Kaufmann, as he takes full flight in these glorious and gutsy concerts.

A man wearing lion skin aiming with wooden spear.
13 Jun - 15 Jul 2023 Dance

Yuldea

From the incomparable storytellers of Bangarra Dance Theatre comes a major new work. Frances Rings’ first work as Artistic Director is a ceremonial affirmation of history and heritage. Yuldea awakens the earth and sky worlds to tell the story of the Anangu people of the Great Victorian Desert.

A clown in a suit and a woman in a black dress.
oa-rigoletto-16x9-hero
13 - 26 Jun 2023 Opera

Rigoletto

Opera Australia’s much-loved production returns, complete with its glamorous La Dolce Vita-inspired sets and costumes, and a scene-stealing Fiat 500.