It’s not every day that the ballet comes to Saskatoon.

Already receiving rapturous reviews from the likes of the CBC, Svengali is the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s newest creation, an artistic retelling of the novel Trilby by George du Maurier.

Harrison James as the title character in Svengali.

The ballet tells the story of Svengali, a young man yearning for fame who has an entrancing effect on women. After escaping the confines of his repressive mother, Svengali meets the innocent young dancer Trilby, whom he transforms into a dancing sensation.

Svengali was conceived and choreographed by Mark Godden, who worked off a film treatment by Guy Maddin, the Canadian filmmaking virtuoso behind My Winnipeg, to create this unique take on the story of Svengali. The ballet features music by Sergei Rachmaninov, Franz Liszt, Philip Glass and the Amsterdam Klezmer Band.

Svengali will be performed on Nov. 8 at TCU Place.

Amanda Green as Trilby in Svengali.