Guest Artist Brooklyn Mack to Make ABT Debut in Le Corsaire

Roberto Bolle to Give Farewell Performance with ABT on Thursday, June 20

Roberto Bolle in Manon. Photo: Gene Schiavone.

Casting for the fifth and sixth weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The season’s final performance of Jane Eyre will take place on Monday, June 10, with Misty Copeland in the title role, Cory Stearns as Rochester and Skylar Brandt as Young Jane.  Jane Eyre features choreography and direction by Cathy Marston, music compiled and composed by Philip Feeney, scenery and costumes by Patrick Kinmonth and lighting by Brad Fields.  The production received its World Premiere by Northern Ballet on May 19, 2016 in Doncaster, England performed by Dreda Blow as Jane Eyre and Javier Torres as Rochester.  Jane Eyre is a co-production with Joffrey Ballet and is staged for ABT by Jenny Tattersall and Daniel de Andrade.

The season’s first performance of Le Corsaire on Tuesday, June 11 will be led by Skylar Brandt as Medora, Herman Cornejo as Conrad, Sarah Lane as Gulnare, Carlos Gonzalez in his debut as Lankendem, Daniil Simkin as Ali and Arron Scott as Birbanto.  The matinee on Wednesday, June 12 will include debuts by Devon Teuscher as Medora and Katherine Williams as Gulnare.  Guest Artist Brooklyn Mack, a former member of The Washington Ballet and ABT Studio Company, will make his ABT debut as Ali at the same performance.  Aran Bell will dance the role of Lankendem for the first time at the Wednesday, June 12 evening performance.  On Thursday, June 12, Brooklyn Mack will dance the role of Conrad for the first time with ABT and Cassandra Trenary and Blaine Hoven will debut as Gulnare and Lankendem, respectively.  Based on the Lord Byron poem “The Corsair” (1814), the ballet features choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev after Marius Petipa, and staging by Anna-Marie Holmes after Petipa and Sergeyev, with music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo and Prince Oldenbourg.  Scenery and costumes are by Irina Tibilova, with additional costume designs by Robert Perdziola and lighting by Mary Jo Dondlinger.  Le Corsaire received its Company Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on June 19, 1998 with Nina Ananiashvili (Medora), Giuseppe Picone (Conrad), Ashley Tuttle (Gulnare), Vladimir Malakhov (Lankendem), Jose Manuel Carreño (Ali) and Angel Corella (Birbanto).

Eight performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon begin Monday, June 17 with Hee Seo debuting in the title role, Roberto Bolle as Des Grieux, Stella Abrera as Lescaut’s Mistress and James Whiteside as Lescaut.  On Tuesday, June 18, the performance will feature debuts by Sarah Lane (Manon), Herman Cornejo (Des Grieux) and Cassandra Trenary (Lescaut’s Mistress).  On Wednesday, June 19, the matinee will include debuts by Misty Copeland as Manon, Catherine Hurlin as Lescaut’s Mistress and Calvin Royal III as Lescaut, and the evening performance will be led for the first time by Isabella Boylston (Manon), David Hallberg (Des Grieux), Christine Shevchenko (Lescaut’s Mistress) and Blaine Hoven (Lescaut).  Roberto Bolle will give his farewell performance with ABT on Thursday, June 20.  Staged for ABT by Julie Lincoln and assisted by Robert Tewsley, the ballet is set to music by Jules Massenet and features scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting by Thomas F. Skelton.  Manon was given its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on March 7, 1974, danced by Antoinette Sibley as Manon and Anthony Dowell as Des Grieux.  Manon received its United States premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on May 7, 1974, danced by the same cast.  The Company Premiere of the full-length Manon was given on May 28, 1993 at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, danced by Alessandra Ferri as Manon, Julio Bocca as Des Grieux, Gil Boggs as Lescaut, Kathleen Moore as Lescaut’s Mistress, Michael Owen as Monsieur G.M., Victor Barbee as Jailer and Georgina Parkinson as Madame.  Manon was last performed by ABT in 2014.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $25, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000.  The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64^th and 65^th streets in New York City.  For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.

Complete casting follows.

Leadership support for Jane Eyre, part of ABT Women’s Movement, is generously provided by The Leila and Mickey Straus Family Foundation.

Champion support for ABT Women’s Movement is provided by Jenna Segal. Additional support provided by  Mark Casey and Carrie Gaiser Casey, Donna and Richard Esteves, Margee and John Falk, Janine and J. Tomilson Hill, the National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Denise Littlefield Sobel, The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, Elizabeth Yntema, one anonymous donor, and through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

American Ballet Theatre’s performances of Le Corsaire are generously underwritten through an endowed gift from Irene and Fred Shen.

American Ballet Theatre’s performances of Manon were generously supported through an endowed gift from Anka K. Palitz, in memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre.

ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

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