This weekend, Houston Ballet brings John Cranko’s Onegin to life in a visually stunning, emotionally charged production that is not to be missed. I attended the Friday, September 12 performance, and I was blown away by the artistry, the sets, and the heart that went into this production. The last performance is this Sunday, September 13, so if you’re interested, I highly recommend catching it while you can (more info here).

Based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel Eugene Onegin, this three-act ballet tells a timeless and relatable story. Tatiana, a young country girl, becomes infatuated with Onegin, an upper-class man bored with life. However, he rejects her, dismissing her as a naive girl who reads too many romance novels. Years later, fate brings them together again, but this time the tables have turned; Onegin is the one longing for Tatiana’s love, only to find she has married another and moved on.

This is such a universal story, and I think a lot of people can connect with it. Many of us have experienced loving someone who didn’t feel the same way, only to later see them want us back after we’ve grown past them. There’s almost a bittersweet feeling of victory in that moment; except, as Onegin shows, it is too late for the person who rejected love the first time around.

Having previously seen an opera performance of Eugene Onegin (which I thought was superb), I was eager to see how Houston Ballet would interpret the story through movement alone. And it did not disappoint.

One of the things I loved most about this production is its pacing. Each of the three acts is around 30 minutes long, with two 20-minute intermissions. I appreciated this episodic feel; it gave me time to stretch, process what I had just seen, and get ready for the next act.

The cast I saw delivered beautiful performances:

Tatiana – Yuriko Kajiya

Olga – Aoi Fujiwara

Onegin – Aaron Robison

Lensky – Julian Amir Lacey

Gremin – Griffin Koehl

Yuriko Kajiya’s Tatiana was captivating from start to finish. In Act I, she beautifully portrayed a shy, innocent girl whose infatuation with Onegin is almost dreamlike. By Act III, we see a fully transformed Tatiana: strong, dignified, and unwilling to compromise her happiness. The moment she rips up Onegin’s desperate letter was met with an audible cheer from the audience, a powerful signal of just how much her character had grown.

Aaron Robison as Onegin was equally compelling. He is convincingly cold and dismissive early on, brushing off Tatiana’s heartfelt letter, and by the end of the ballet, his body language communicates complete desperation. He is almost washed up, emotionally unraveling as he begs Tatiana for a love he once threw away.

One of the most memorable moments comes when Tatiana gazes into a “mirror,” but what looks like a reflection is actually a double actress mimicking her movements behind a border frame; no actual glass, creating the illusion of a mirror. Then, Onegin appears “inside” the mirror before stepping through the frame. This striking visual seems to represent what is happening in Tatiana’s heart and mind as she imagines what it might feel like to be with Onegin. The two dance together in an emotionally charged way that beautifully communicates the intensity of her feelings before she writes him a letter.

The choreography by John Cranko is wonderfully expressive. Every gesture, lift, and spin is rich with subtext, and the dancers’ physicality perfectly captures the emotional highs and lows of each character’s journey. The duets between Tatiana and Onegin are particularly striking, evolving from dreamy and tender in Act I to emotionally full of tension in Act III.

The sets and costumes were equally impressive. From the castle walls to the grand chandeliers to the delicate transparent curtains that added atmospheric depth, the production was visually rich. Every set change felt purposeful and immersive. In Tatiana’s room (pictured above), we see rich, dark tones and elegant drapery amidst a tall, ornate mirror that becomes the centerpiece of one of the ballet’s most memorable moments. In the ballroom scenes, the production explodes with color: warm amber lighting, sweeping arches, and lush greenery that give the stage incredible depth. The costumes are just as detailed: the women wear flowing gowns with puffed sleeves and soft pastel hues, while the men are dressed in formal tailcoats and boots that anchor the story in its 19th-century setting. Everything feels as if we are watching moving artwork.

Adding to the experience is the beautiful Wortham Theater Center, which gave the performance a grand yet intimate feel. The acoustics were wonderful, allowing Tchaikovsky’s music (arranged by Kurt-Heinz Stolze) to soar and wrap around the audience, heightening every dramatic turn of the story.

Every dancer gave it their all, and the emotional weight of the story resonated through every movement. Onegin is a ballet that combines technical brilliance with a deeply human story.

If you’ve ever loved someone who didn’t love you back- or been on the other side of that situation- you will find something deeply relatable in Onegin. Houston Ballet’s production is a gorgeous, moving experience that I wholeheartedly recommend seeing before it closes this Sunday.

Onegin
September 5 - 14, 2025

For Tickets and More Info, click here.