Manon Lescaut

Scene photo from »Manon Lescaut«: Renato Des Grieux, Edmondo and Manon are shown in dynamic motion in the foreground. Edmondo stands in the middle with his arms outstretched between them. He is wearing a black tracksuit, sunglasses and a baseball cap. The word 'Follia' is written in yellow on his shirt. Renato and Manon are both wearing shirts bearing the inscription »Destino«. In the background, to the left, another man is running towards the group. — Ipča Ramanović, Jaesung Kim, João Terleira, Signe Heiberg; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene photo from »Manon Lescaut«: Manon is surrounded by a crowd. She is wearing a glittering silver dress with a wide, flared hem that spreads out around her in a circle on the floor. She holds her index finger to her lips and turns to Geronte de Ravoir. He approaches her from the front left and extends his hand towards Manon. — Ks. Wilfried Staber, Signe Heiberg, Ks. Winfrid Mikus; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene photo from »Manon Lescaut«: Manon kneels on the floor with her glittery dress spread out in front of her. Looking to her left, she sees her reflection in a mirror. In the mirror, Renato can be seen standing behind her. — Jaesung Kim, Signe Heiberg; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene photo from »Manon Lescaut«: Wearing black trousers, a shirt and a leather jacket, Lescaut runs across the stage. Manon's glittery dress lies on the floor in front of him. — Giorgos Kanaris; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene photo from »Manon Lescaut«: A crowd of people, including Lescaut and Manon, has gathered on the smoke-filled stage. While most are dressed in black, Manon and a few others are wearing orange prison uniforms. Two armed guards stand on a platform to the top right. — Giorgos Kanaris, Ipča Ramanović, Signe Heiberg; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene photo from »Manon Lescaut«: Dressed in an orange prison uniform, Manon tries to hold on to Renato, who is running away. They are surrounded by a crowd of people in black, grappling with one another. — Signe Heiberg, Jaesung Kim, Chor; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Lyrical Drama in four acts by Giacomo Puccini

Musical Theatre
Marguerre-Saal

Text by Ruggero Leoncavallo, Marco Praga, Domenico Oliva, Luigi Illica, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giulio Ricordi, Giuseppe Adami and Giacomo Puccini based on »Histoire du Chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut« by Abbé Prévost / In Italian with German supertitles
[recommended for ages 15 and up]

Torn between romantic love and a luxurious life, Manon Lescot is steadily drifting towards the edge of an abyss. The home comforts the older and highly esteemed Geronte de Ravoir can offer her compete with the student Renato Des Grieux’s honest love for her. Manon is accused of stealing by Geronte and sent away to America. Even though Des Grieux gets his way and is allowed to accompany her, Manon is unable to build a happy life there.

Eight poets, including the librettist himself and his editor Ricordi, were involved in creating the libretto which is based on Abbé Prévost’s novel from 1731. But despite the sometimes gruelling process, his work paid off: The premiere in Turin in 1893 was a huge success and marked Giacomo Puccini’s long-awaited international break-through as opera composer.

Musical direction

Mino Marani

Direction

Friederike Blum

Stage Design

Loriana Casagrande

Costume Design

Katharina Weissenborn

Lighting Design

Ralf Kabrhel

Choir Rehearsals

Florian Daniel

Dramaturgy

Ulrike Schumann

Music Theatre Education

Annabelle Ruth

Conducting

Mino Marani

Dietger Holm

Junyoung Kim

Manon Lescaut

Signe Heiberg

Lescaut

Giorgos Kanaris

Renato Des Grieux

Jaesung Kim

Geronte de Ravoir

Ks. Wilfried Staber

Edmondo

João Terleira

Der Wirt / Ein Sergeant / Ein See-Kapitän

Ipča Ramanović

Ein Tanzmeister / Ein Lampenanzünder

Ks. Winfrid Mikus

Ein Musiker

Amber Fasquelle

Aistė Benkauskaitė

Madrigal-Quartett

Claudia Schumacher Ulrike Machill Kinga Timár Mi Rae Choi Jana Krauße Sophia Damaris Kylee Slee Barbara Dorothea Link

Opernchor des Theaters und Orchesters Heidelberg Jugendchor des Theaters und Orchesters Heidelberg Statisterie des Theaters und Orchesters Heidelberg Philharmonisches Orchester Heidelberg

Aistė Benkauskaitė is a member of the opera studio Mascarade Opera Florence.

Director of Studies

Hanna Klose

Musical Rehearsals

Hanna Klose, Junyoung Kim, Manon Parmentier, Nanami Yamane, Paul Breyer

Assistant Director

Maurice Böhlke, Katharina Kallert, Georg Zahn

Stage Management

Katharina von Zadow

Assistant Costumes

Lena Eibl

Hospitanz Costumes

Felicia Krahl

Assistant Stage Design

Theresa Schneider, Myungjin Choi

Hospitanz Stage Design

Anne Tasch

The production of the decorative parts is carried out in the workshops of the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg.
A complete list of all employees of the technical departments involved can be found here.

Listen to an introduction by Ulrike Schumann (in German) here.

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Trailer by Siegersbuschfilm

Einen Abend »unter Hochspannung« von der »ersten Minute bis zum Schlussakkord« erlebte Frank Pommer für die Rheinpfalz (28. September 2025). Regisseurin Friederike Blum habe die Handlung »in unsere Gegenwart« verlegt und erzähle vom vergeblichen Kampf zweier junger Menschen um Liebe und Glück. »Stimmlich wie darstellerisch sensationell« werde der Abend von Signe Heiberg in der Titelrolle und Jaesung Kim als Des Grieux gestaltet, das sei »Puccini-Gesang auf ganz außerordentlichem Niveau«, die Schlussszene schieße »mitten ins Herz«, meint der Rezensent. Am Pult habe GMD Mino Marani für »packenden, mitreißenden Klang« gesorgt.

»Es ist das ganz große Gefühlsdrama, für das man die Oper lieben muss«, schreibt Jesper Klein in der Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung (30. September 2025). Allein für das Finale – eine Szene, »die im Gedächtnis und auch im Herzen bleibt«, lohne sich der Besuch der Heidelberger Inszenierung. Der »musikalisch starke« und »stimmlich begeisternde Premierenabend« sei vor allem Signe Heiberg und Jaesung Kim in den Hauptrollen zu verdanken, begleitet von einem »Action-geladenen Puccini-Sound« aus dem Orchestergraben.

»Frisch, farbenfroh, quicklebendig«: Friederike Blums »vergnügliche, zeitlose« Heidelberger Inszenierung habe mit einer »modernen« Dramaturgie, den »temporeich fortschreiten[den]« Akten, »kreativen Regiekniffs«, dem »gut aufgelegte[n] Orchester und herausragende[n] Einzelstimmen« »das Potenzial, auch das jüngere Publikum für die Oper anzuziehen«, meint Raimund Frings im Mannheimer Morgen (30. September 2025).

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Manon Lescaut

Lyrical Drama in four acts by Giacomo Puccini

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