Based on a novel by Abbé Prévost, Manon is an opéra comique about the love between chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut. The story follows the two lovers who, upon their first meeting, decide to run away together. Throughout the opera, they are separated by members of their own family but ultimately reunited through their undeniable connection. Throughout the years, the opera has been taken on by different composers, however the original version by Jules Massenet premiered in 1884, and is regarded as his best and most successful opera. Italian composer Giacomo Puccini loved the story so much he created his own adaptation in 1893. The opera is thought to capture the Belle Epoque in Paris, expressing the vibrancy and charisma of the era through music.
