The opera by the Italian verismo composer Giacomo Puccini is considered one of his best works. The premiere of the opera took place in 1893 in Turin, and it was later staged in St. Petersburg, ensuring the composer a debut triumph. After the opera was staged at London’s Covent Garden, the famous Bernard Shaw compared Puccini's music to the great works of Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto of the opera is based on the book by Antoine François Prévost "The History of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut". This is one of the first psychological novels in history, which gained incredible popularity among European readers. The director of the performance, Jürgen Flimm, and the artist Georgy Tsypin transferred the action of the opera to the early 20th century. The events, as in the original version, unfold in Paris, but the main heroine becomes a budding film actress, her beloved - an actor, and the old man Geronte - a Hollywood producer. The artistic design of the production brings it closer to films in the "noir" style, characterized by light contrasts and dramatic shadows. Another association with the cinema of the 30s is the costumes of the characters. The performance at the Mikhailovsky Theatre is a joint production with the Berlin Staatsoper.