Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage, Russell Maliphant
This brand new Sadler’s Wells production brings together three of the dance world’s foremost creative minds: former principal dancer of Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris and The Royal Ballet in London, Sylvie Guillem, world-renowned theatre-maker Robert Lepage and award-winning contemporary choreographer Russell Maliphant.
Eonnagata tells the story of the Chevalier d’Éon, Charles de Beaumont - diplomat, writer, swordsmen and a member of the King's Secret, a network of spies under the control of Louis XV. De Beaumont was perhaps the first spy to use transvestitism in the furtherance of his duties and until the day he died his true gender was a source of constant speculation, even provoking public bets in the late 18th century.
For this remarkable collaboration,
Guillem,
Lepage, and
Maliphant draw not only from their respective backgrounds, but also from the ancient Kabuki technique of
Onnegata - in which male actors portray female roles in an extremely stylised fashion. The elaborate costumes of Louis XV’s court will be evoked by legendary fashion designer
Alexander McQueen.