Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s iconic ballet about a dysfunctional royal family, depicting shocking real events from 1889, was boldly created in 1978 and is now reimagined and redesigned by Scottish Ballet, in a sumptuous production that is at once both intimate and epic.
Set in 1889 in the opulent, royal courts of Vienna, The Scandal at Mayerling tells the true story of the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, an anti-hero as compelling as Hamlet. He enjoyed the privileges of a royal lifestyle – elaborate parties and his every whim catered for. But with it came mistresses, alcohol and drugs in excess – as his mental health rapidly declined and his place at Court became ever more tenuous, he developed a morbid fascination with death. The ‘scandal’ erupted when he and his teenage mistress Mary Vetsera were discovered dead in an apparent murder-suicide at the Mayerling imperial hunting lodge in the woods outside the city.*
The original production, Mayerling, premiered at the Royal Ballet in 1978 (a Royal Gala performance on Valentine’s Day, no less) and was hailed for both its epic grandiosity and breath-taking choreography. Scottish Ballet’s version refocuses the spotlight on the lethal power dynamics between Rudolf and the women in his life – his wife, his mother and his mistresses – in a series of increasingly intense duets.
With the full company on stage, lavish new set and costume designs, and the Franz Liszt score performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra, The Scandal at Mayerling is set to startle audiences across Scotland.
The Scandal at Mayerling has been generously supported by patrons of The Five in Five Campaign. The Campaign was launched in 2019 to commission and stage five new full-length ballets in five years; a legacy of work to commemorate Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary year. This is the third ballet in the campaign (the first two being The Crucible & The Snow Queen), touring 18 months after it should have had its World Premiere. The fourth ballet will be Coppélia, premiering at Edinburgh International Festival in 2022, and the fifth will be announced later this year. All five works engage international and homegrown creatives of the highest calibre, and aim to appeal to new audiences, creating an important legacy for the company, the dance world and Scotland.
Tour dates:
13-16 April 2022 Theatre Royal, Glasgow
21-23 April 2022 Eden Court, Inverness
5-7 May 2022 His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
25-28 May 2022 Festival Theatre Edinburgh