Opéra Royal - Malandain Ballet Biarritz : Marie-Antoinette

Cultural

The last Queen of France, whose destiny was exceptional, tragic and glamorous all at once, deserved a ballet: Thierry Malandain has created a made-to-measure costume for her in a colourful show that is deeply dedicated to Versailles and its Royal Opera House.

Designated as the evil genius of the kingdom and blamed for all its misfortunes, before her body was taken away on a wheelbarrow, her head between her legs... Marie-Antoinette, without her insouciance, without her reluctance to be Queen, without Trianon, without her favourites, her coquetries, her diamonds, without the courtly depictions magnified by pamphlets and caricatures, without the Revolution and the belief that bloodshed contributed to progress, would certainly have continued her frivolous existence and would not have died a tortured death. How did a Queen adored by an entire people lose her affection before dying of her hatred? How did the woman who embodied the symbol of royalty help to precipitate its downfall?

Thierry Malandain's ballet retraces Marie-Antoinette's journey through Versailles: from her arrival at court, on the day of her wedding and the inauguration of the Opéra Royal, to her departure in October 1789, which took her to her fate... A magnificent show premiering in 2019 at the Opéra Royal de Versailles.