About the work
“Marie-Antoinette” is a one-act narrative ballet by the French choreographer Thierry Malandain for his company, Malandain Ballet Biarritz. It was commissioned by the Château de Versailles and premiered in 2019 at the Opéra Royal of Versailles, the very hall that opened in 1770 for the young archduchess’s wedding to the future Louis XVI. It is danced to music by Joseph Haydn and Christoph Willibald Gluck, with sets and costumes by Jorge Gallardo.
Plot
The ballet follows Marie Antoinette through her years at Versailles, from her arrival at court and her wedding to her forced departure in October 1789. Its scenes show the long unconsummated marriage, the court festivities, the idyllic hamlet in the Trianon gardens and the growing estrangement between queen and people. Lully’s opera “Persée”, which once inaugurated the Opéra Royal, is woven in as a play within the play.
Cultural significance
Malandain portrays the queen not as a caricature but as a young woman who grows into a role that remains foreign to her. The work has toured internationally, including Bangkok in 2024, and entered the repertoire of the Vienna State Ballet at the Volksoper Wien in December 2025.