The Mikhailovsky Theatre, a historic gem at the heart of Saint Petersburg since 1833, has long been a home to extraordinary artistry. Many of its dancers, like those of the Mariinsky Theatre, are graduates of the city’s prestigious academies, bringing world-class technique and expressive power to the stage. This season, the theatre presents Spartacus, a ballet of heroic grandeur and intense drama. With sweeping choreography, electrifying group scenes, and the indomitable spirit of its characters, the performance immerses the audience in a story of courage, sacrifice, and passion, realized through the company’s remarkable skill and dramatic presence.
Premiere of the production: 29 April 2008
Back on Stage: 7 September 2018
Imperial Rome, with its magnificent processions, orgies, and gladiatorial combats, provides a spectacular backdrop for this dramatic story of the fight for human dignity and freedom. The gladiators’ revolt is doomed to failure, but that does nothing to reduce the tension in the auditorium since in every scene, the characters give a full display of all the qualities of human nature in the face of brutal retribution.
Synopsis
Act one
Scene one. Roman Forum
A square in Rome. In the centre of the square there is a cage full of slaves. General Pompeius appears on a chariot pulled by the captives Crixus and Spartacus.
Scene two. Barracks
A barracks at the gladiator school. To entertain the slave warriors, the schoolmaster Ares brings in girls to entertain the slaves. Valeria is one of them. Spartacus is enchanted with her, and Valeria returns his affection. The servants interrupt the lovers’ rendezvous.
Scene three. Palace
General Crassus and the courtesan Sabina preside over a noisy, uninhibited bacchanalia. The guests demand new spectacles, and gladiatorial fights await them.
Scene four. Arena
Crixus defeats Pyrrhus the Nubian in a short-sword duel. Other gladiators enter the arena, Spartacus among them. At the climax of the fight, Spartacus refuses to kill his last opponent and walks off the arena. This breach of ritual provokes Crassus’s soldiers to attack Spartacus, but Crassus, impressed by his courage, stops them.
Scene five. Barracks
Crixus and Spartacus call for a rebellion: it is better to die as free men than to live as slaves. The gladiators attack the guards, seize their weapons, and break free.
Act two
Scene six. Feast at Sabina's place
The guards bring in the captured Crixus. Crassus challenges the gladiator to a duel and easily defeats him. Sabina charms Crixus. Pompeius, displeased with Sabina’s behaviour, leaves the villa. At this moment, Spartacus’s army bursts into the palace. Crixus pleads for mercy for those present. A quarrel breaks out between Crixus and Spartacus. Spartacus and his warriors return to the camp.
Scene seven. Woods
In the woods, shepherds and shepherdesses greet the brave rebels. Crixus leads the courtesans into Spartacus’s camp. Taking advantage of the gladiators’ revelry, Crassus’s forces encircle the camp. In despair, Crixus rushes to Spartacus and begs to be killed. Spartacus refuses, so Crixus seizes a dagger and plunges it into his own chest.
Scene eight. Battlefield
Word reaches Spartacus that a huge army is advancing to reinforce Crassus. Spartacus has no choice: it is better to die in battle than to become a slave again.
Scene nine. Battle
Surrounded by Romans, Spartacus dies in the battle. The rebels are defeated. Valeria mourns Spartacus and his fallen comrades.
Mariinsky Theatre: 
Mariinsky-2 (New Theatre): 
Mariinsky Concert Hall: 
