Jump to content

Pleasant surprises


Recommended Posts

I think the general consensus of opinion is that Bonelli has not only triumphed as Rudolf but surprised us all a bit (in fact a man I was sitting by at today's matinee said he hadn't booked to see him because he couldn't see him in the role). I've always liked Federico very much but have to admit to wondering whether his acting skills were up to Mayerling and how wonderful it was to have all doubts quashed! It made me wonder what other pleasant surprises people have had.  Obviously we all have varied and differing opinions, but generally speaking the big names are big names for a reason and the up and coming talent seems to be more than fulfilling expectations so I'm thinking of the less starry performers who suddenly make you sit up and go 'wow'!

 

Here are a few of mine from the last couple of seasons:

 

Onegin: I had booked to see all five casts (think it was five) but have to say I went along rather dutifully to the Kish / Mendiabal matinee and ended up totally transported!  Similarly, many moons ago, the same thing happened with Soares / Marquez.

 

Two Pigeons: again lots of interesting casts but had reservations about Takada (on the acting front) but all I can say is that there must have been a very cold north easterly wind on the day I saw her and Hay as I seemed to have to wipe my eyes an awful lot!

 

Winter's Tale: with Gartside / Nunez - they just nailed it! I found him far less twitchy than Watson in the part and all the more moving for being that bit more restrained.

 

Giselle: this is a while back now, but while I always had a 'thing' about Yoshida, I think it fair to say she wasn't the greatest of actresses. I remember travelling back from somewhere or other and getting in late with no time to get rid of luggage, thinking I've seen Giselle hundreds of times, shall I just skip tonight? So glad I didn't because I can still see Miyako cradling her Albrecht (guess who - Federico?!) and remember the tears not rolling down my cheeks but literally dropping onto my hands!

 

Would be very interested to hear of others' pleasant surprises.

 

 

 

 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many years ago I saw Miyako Yoshida dancing Juliet when still with BRB.  I was seriously disappointed.

 

Some years ago a friend had a spare ticket for a matinee at ROH so I said I would go with her.  I was disappointed when I saw Yoshida's name on the cast sheet.  What a difference 15 years made!!!  She was utterly convincing and totally heartbreaking as Juliet that afternoon.  The lesson I learned from that was that dancers can change and grow into roles and you should always be prepared to give them a second chance.

 

A dancer called Graham Fletcher was cast to dance Frollo in Michael Pink's Hunchback of Notre Dame.  He was a lovely dancer but we just couldn't see him in this role.  Again, he proved us all wrong and was totally awesome.  We went to the stage door (in Sheffield) to thank him for his outstanding performance.  As he appeared at the top of the stairs we broke into spontaneous applause - he was well chuffed!

 

I wasn't looking forward to 1984 but I loved it!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Janet, was that the same Graham Fletcher who was the original Bratfisch?

 

He was one of my favourite dancers around that time.  I saw him in both Mr Cinders and Song and Dance.  He is a bit of a mentor to Lewis Turner too.

 

If it someone complete different please ignore me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think one of my biggest/pleasantest surprises was Akane Takada's Giselle last season. I had never before found her an interesting dancer, but it was just thrilling. And Tierney Heap's Myrthe in the same run - I had no real expectation since I hadn't really noticed her, but she was unlike any other Myrthe I've seen and totally brilliant. And, in fact, Sarah Lamb's Giselle in the same performance - I had no idea she could be so moving, but her Giselle was so exquisite it broke my heart.

 

Also, Woolf Works. Not being a McGregor fan, and not being familiar Virginia Woolf's work, I feared the worst; but got the best.

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree re Akane Takada. Staying with her for a moment - another incredible surprise this RB season was her Sleeping Beauty in which she & her partner James Hay gave one of the best performances of that ballet I can recall seeing. 

But my all time surprise has to be in the Bolshoi London season 2010. Natalia Osipova, who was wowing London as the Kitri of her (or maybe any) generation, defied expectations to transform herself into the most electrifying Giselle I've ever seen. It might sound silly, but in act 2 there was a ghostly chill in the auditorium & as the curtain descended you could have heard a pin drop. We were in shock at the unexpected brilliance of the performance we had witnessed. 

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, annamk said:

But my all time surprise has to be in the Bolshoi London season 2010. Natalia Osipova, who was wowing London as the Kitri of her (or maybe any) generation, defied expectations to transform herself into the most electrifying Giselle I've ever seen. It might sound silly, but in act 2 there was a ghostly chill in the auditorium & as the curtain descended you could have heard a pin drop. We were in shock at the unexpected brilliance of the performance we had witnessed. 

 

I was also at that performance. It was literally hair-raising. Never before or since ....

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So was I, and not since Cojocaru in the role a few years before had I experienced such emotion in this ballet.  My daughter and I were already choked up halfway through Act 1; by the end of the ballet we were emotionally wrecked.  I will never forget it!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thiago Soares' debut as Rudolf a few years ago.  He had never done much for me as a dancer, but his portrayal had so much pathos and humanity that it made me weep.  I had never felt sorry for Rudolf before that night.  My guest was a dancer from another company, and she too was incredibly moved, as was another ballet 'regular' sitting next to us.  We were all equally astonished at how emotional we were, and the question "where did THAT come from?" was asked....but there is no answer.  It was just one of those special nights.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Some years ago a friend had a spare ticket for a matinee at ROH so I said I would go with her.  I was disappointed when I saw Yoshida's name on the cast sheet.  What a difference 15 years made!!!  She was utterly convincing and totally heartbreaking as Juliet that afternoon.  The lesson I learned from that was that dancers can change and grow into roles and you should always be prepared to give them a second chance.

 

 

Absolutely.  Although I suppose the converse may also be true: someone may give a stunning performance when you first see them, but not repeat it in later years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cojocaru surprised me when she was cast as Tatiana in Onegin and Mary Vetsera in Mayerling. I think she'd barely been promoted and was suddenly handed all these roles that I thought required a level of maturity she could not have because of her youth. But her debuts were both surprising and unforgettable. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't imagine Cojocaru and Kobborg ever being bettered in Onegin.  Every time I saw them, I was a wreck at the end.  And at almost every performance, so were they, both of them often in tears.  Truly something wonderful and once-in-a-generation.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Sim said:

I can't imagine Cojocaru and Kobborg ever being bettered in Onegin.  Every time I saw them, I was a wreck at the end.  And at almost every performance, so were they, both of them often in tears.  Truly something wonderful and once-in-a-generation.  

 

Miss them :( 

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, SPD444 said:

Mine was watching Mr Kish as Frankenstein. He rarely seems to have danced over the last couple of years, injuries I believe, but his Frankenstein really touched me.

I absolutely agree. I'd always enjoyed his work, but this was something quite other. I do hope he will be back next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A long time ago - but Donald Macleary partnering Lynn Seymour in Giselle.  I never thought of him as an actor, but at that performance he was the first Albrecht who really made sense of the part for me.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I cried watching Kobborg and Cojocaru in "Onegin". The despairing dignity of Tatiana when she tells him to go and his frenzy when he realises what he has lost were so painfully true.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...