Spartacus (Bolshoi Ballet)

Directed by Yuri Grigorovich
Choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich
Starring Mikhail Lobukhin, Anna Nikulina, Svetlana Zakharova, and Alexander Volchkov
3 hrs 35 mins estimated including pre-show and two intermissions

The powerful Roman consul Crassus returns to Rome in triumph from his conquest of Thrace. The Thracian king and queen, Spartacus and his wife Phrygia, are captives of the conquering general. As Phrygia is taken away to the harem of concubines kept by Crassus, Spartacus bids her a sorrowful farewell and mourns his captivity. To entertain Crassus and his entourage, Spartacus is sent into the gladiatorial arena and forced to kill a close friend. Horrified, Spartacus incites his fellow captives to rebellion.

While the escaped captives celebrate their freedom, Crassus entertains the Roman patricians with a lavish banquet, including fights between blindfolded gladiators. One of the concubines, the alluring Aegina, seduces the guests to begin an orgy. Spartacus and his comrades disrupt the orgy and rescue the slave women, including Phrygia, who, along with Spartacus, celebrates their escape (to the strains of the familiar “Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia.”)

Aegina discovers the rebels’ camp and sees the lovers Spartacus and Phrygia emerging from their tent in the morning. Aegina sends word to Crassus. His army pursues the rebels, who have succumbed to arguments and in-fighting. The Roman forces discover Spartacus and impale him on their spears. The hero’s closest followers retrieve his body and carry it off as Phrygia mourns her loss.