One of the most technically demanding works in the ballet repertoire, The Australian Ballet has not staged a performance of Manon for more than a decade.
Yet Sir Kenneth MacMillan's choreographic showpiece requires more than simply technical mastery for its heartbreaking tale of love and survival.
"With the passion of the storytelling, every moment demands complete commitment from the dancers, physically and emotionally," said artistic director David Hallberg.
"What results is the beauty of ballet told through the passion of lost love."
Based on Abbé Prévost's 1731 novel, it's the story of a young woman Manon who falls in love with idealistic student des Grieux and flees to Paris with him.
But when the wealthy and powerful nobleman Monsieur GM offers her a life of luxury, she is drawn into his grasp.
There's betrayal, imprisonment, escape, and it all ends not in the romantic capital of Paris, but the swamps of Louisiana.
Manon premiered at the Royal Opera House in 1974, and was first staged by The Australian Ballet in 1994, with its most recent performance in 2014.
The show marks the last time the national company will perform in Sydney for some months, returning in November.
Manon plays at the Sydney Opera House's Joan Sutherland Theatre from Wednesday until May 17, and in Melbourne from October 10-22 at the Regent Theatre.
