hfbrew Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Btuks latest show starts tomorrow at The Albany Theatre, Coventry. Tours dates can be found on the Ballet Theatre UK website. I have tried pasting a link here but to no avail today,sorry! I do hope that anyone who goes to support this young British company will report back here as I don't get a chance to go until after Easter and I do so want to know how "the ship" works!! (been hearing about it from my ds!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishprincess Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 going in a couple of weeks!!! can't wait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Hope to be going in April ......Good Friday I think at the Fairfield Hall in Croydon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda.ballet Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 We are going tomorrow to see them in Mansfield, DD very interested to see how the mermaid dances without any legs! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 We are going tomorrow to see them in Mansfield, DD very interested to see how the mermaid dances without any legs! He he, Im given to understand that this production is tough on the male dancers! Lots of lifting so the mermaid looks like shes swimming possibly from the little information gleaned from ds.There are photos on Btuk facebook page which are very intriguing! Im dying to know how it all works but cant go until April so would welcome spoilers disguised as reviews! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda.ballet Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Hahaha! Will gladly post thoughts after tomorrow eve. Very excited, yes DD showed me the Facebook photos of the rehearsals, it's lovely to get an insight into behind the scenes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I'd be really grateful if you could give me some idea of running time and suitability for younger children. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 Running time 2 hours including interval as ever. Cant comment on suitability for children as Ive not yet seen it. But Btuks productions are normally suitable for all the family. One thing I do know is that this retelling of the Little Mermaid is based on Hans Andersons story and therefore absolutely nothing like the Disney version.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porthesia Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 I have tickets for tomorrow at the Assembly Rooms in Tunbridge Wells. I'm really intrigued by "the ship". They were extremely clever with Alice getting taller and smaller and their costumes for the Mad Hatters Tea Party were very innovative too. I wasn't really sure what to expect and hadn't considered there would be a ship so looking forward to the performance even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Better make sure you have a packet of tissues with you ..... The original is sad!! In answer to a previous post about suitability for children that although it's sad I think children can cope with sad stories.....especially if they are told the story first. I'm sure they will be enchanted with the ballet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 I hate sad endings but have been reassured by my ds that the ending is done very tactfully for the sake of young children and sensitive souls like me! I will still take tissues though.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda.ballet Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yes indeed take a pack of tissues, the ending is very emotional and very beautiful, although I won't give anything away. We took DD and her friend to see the show yesterday and it was wonderful, and almost close to being sold out. They are a very hard working company with LOTS of dancing for all the company. The choreography was very bright and the company looked very well rehearsed, although I understand they have only just finished rehearsals. I think it was Claire Corruble (sorry spelling!) who danced the mermaid, she was beautiful and is a very fine actress as well as dancer. Jessica Hill was a very powerful sea witch and the men were very good and were kept very busy with lots of big lifts. The storm scene is very impressive and the costumes are also wonderful. There were many children in the audience and all were quiet as mice through out. Overall The Little Mermaid is a magical ballet and we loved every moment. Well done BTUK. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porthesia Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Tissues are an absolute must and not only for the sad ending. The part where the Mermaid and the Prince are alone on stage before the end of the first act is extremely beautiful and I cried. Sarah Mortimer was the Mermaid and she was wonderful, showing lots of vulnerability and emotion. Again, beautiful costumes, extremely innovative in set design (the ship is quite brilliant) and as ever beautifully danced by the whole cast. hfbrew I've pm'd re the ship 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks for pm and Ive replied. All so exciting, its amazing what no funding but loads of imagination can achieve. Just wish I didnt have to wait so long before seeing it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Me too!! Sounds great. Once they are well settled in their new premises maybe they will consider doing the odd workshop on their repertoire which is quite varied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) Well I finally got my first viewing of this in Swindon last night. I went in order to catch Clair Corruble as Mermaid and she was magnificent and perfectly partnered by the handsome Luca Verone. Jess Hill played the sea witch with relish. As usual all the dancers were a joy to watch, one that stood out for me was Julia Davies. And David Brewer was great too but I would say that... As ever with Btuk the costumes were stunning and I loved the set too. The story was told very effectively through the clever choreography. Yes it did make me cry but it is all done sensitively and the young children in the audience were spellbound. As is my wont I got talking to fellow audience members and was very gratified when a mother came up to me to say her daughter now wanted to see all the Ballets. Job done, well done BTUK. Have to wait until Dunstable now for my next two viewings with different casts. And to see ds be the prince.... Edited April 9, 2014 by hfbrew 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Watching this next week. DD was so excited that it is possible for her during her holidays, although sadly not our more local theatre which was full for Alice but they have not been back since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Looking forward to seeing Little Mermaid in Croydon at the Fairfield Halls tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Looking forward to seeing Little Mermaid in Croydon at the Fairfield Halls tomorrow! Brilliant! If you let me know whether you are going to matinee or the evening I can let you know the castings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Am going to the Matinee. I'm probably leaving Brighton about midday as although it's supposed to be near East Croydon station I want to get there early just in case it's further than has been said eg a 5 min walk is actually a 15 min walk etc!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 The theatre is actually quite close to the station if you go the right way! Things always seem further the first time dont they? Anyway Im jealous because you will see ds as Prince before me! This afternoons main roles are Mermaid, Helena Casado Cortes Prince, David Brewer Princess, Ines Ferreira Witch, Claire Corruble Enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Thanks hfbrew am just tearing myself away from the garden to go and get ready!! Pleased to be seeing your DS again anyway! I'm not that familiar with all the dancers as of yet but will let you know how it goes. Yes I always get a bit nervous when I'm going into completely unfamiliar territory so will probably get there really early!! Having said that partner is just shouting "I thought you wanted to be on the 12.35 train" Better dash!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Have to admit I had mixed feelings watching this one and I would need to see it again to really see if I liked it. There were a lot of very young children in the audience and lots of families and I was at times conscious of the munch of crisps and the whispers of 'whats she doing now? I don't like this bit?' so that no doubt contributed to the lack of emotional connection I had - especially towards the end. I loved the end of Act 1 with the Prince and the Mermaid alone on the stage . Sarah Mortimer was wonderfully expressive as The Mermaid and Jessica Hill was a wonderful seawitch. The male dancers as a whole were superb although DD pointed out that one of them would have been severely reprimanded by her teacher as he had the whiskers on his shoes hanging out throughout. This company is full of great dancers and they dance with great emotion to great choreography. I think it was Julia Davies who caught my eye amongst the female dancers - but it was difficult to match the face to the programme, despite the fact that DD knows a couple of the girls. The ship was very clever and I loved that scene. Costumes as always were fabulous. I am glad I went to see this production. It was definitely worth seeing, even if its not my favourite. Both my DDs loved it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Am going to the Matinee. I'm probably leaving Brighton about midday as although it's supposed to be near East Croydon station I want to get there early just in case it's further than has been said eg a 5 min walk is actually a 15 min walk etc!! No, five minutes will do nicely. Darn, is it only on today? I wish I'd known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 (edited) 2dancersmum is your review of the one in Croydon yesterday? I know it was posted yesterday but wondered if the review was actually of an earlier performance as the casting you have written about is wrong......or was yours an evening performance? It's just that as you mentioned families with children thought perhaps was the matinee which I saw and the casting was as hfbrew mentions a few posts up. I will say something about the audience yesterday on another thread though. I really enjoyed the ballet very much the staging and costumes were lovely and some very clever ideas how to get around some difficult bits in the story. The Prince was David Brewer and the Mermaid was Helena Casado Cortes both giving sensitive performances gently understated so worked well together. I particularly liked the pas de deux near the beginning of Act two some lovely dancing the both of them. All the dancers come across well in this small company so difficult to pick any out in particular but I like Sarah Mortimer and Julia as well. I think it was Julia who was the cheeky maid in the afternoon and she may have been a bridesmaid......she projects very well. All the men are very good but I like both David and Luca Varone in particular. The witches part played by Claire Corruble was interesting......not so much truly scary evil witch......as I think she comes across in the original tale.....but more Diva witch......a bit in the Carabosse vein but nevertheless carried off really well and Claire is generally a very expressive dancer too. I felt sorry for the poor prince having a very large stage prop to deal with......the boat!! Making it move around the stage etc But luckily all seemed to go to plan yesterday! Also the "waves" have to dismantle it in the storm........a clever way to effect the "wreck" of the boat in fact but...........another worry......will your bit come away or remain obstinately stuck to the boat!!! I always want to know whether there is a plan for if stage props don't work but anyway wasn't needed yesterday thank goodness. The music for this piece varies quite a bit. Some of it was very good and worked to serve the story and dramatic bits very well but there were a couple of bits in Act two where I suddenly felt I was listening to "Friday night is Music Night" It says in the Programme that it was " arranged by Simon Paterson" so not sure if any of the score was original or not. All in all this is a very good production and well worth a trip if you haven't seen it.....plenty to enjoy for both adults and children.........but please please not children under three!!! More on Audience behaviour thread. There is a lot of dancing in the Little Mermaid and again I do hope as soon as BTUK has got its new buildings sorted and new teaching course established they will start to run workshops on their productions........for post as well as pre 18 year olds. I would love to learn some of this choreography. Edited April 19, 2014 by LinMM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 What a lovely thoughtful post LinMM and I agree with all your points. Ive only seen it once but will be going to Dunstable on Tuesday to finally see ds as the Prince. You might like to know that he refers to the ship as "a right madam!" Plan b in the case of prop failure (to be fair its rare thank goodness!) is, as far as I understand it curse under breath and improvise. So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for going! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Lin - no I think I probably was writing as you were watching. I saw the evening performance in Redditch and most of the children seemed to be about 5 or 6 years old. I think it was probably the audience atmosphere that lessened my enjoyment. I've seen the company before and love their work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Well now I know the set up in Croydon and how very near the station it is in fact...I'll probably go to an evening performance next time. I don't suppose it being Good Friday and a major holiday helped but anyway I'm not against children going to the Ballet just that parents could be more aware of what is suitable for the age of their child. Most of the older children yesterday were a wonderful audience but I suspect with the younger ones sweets etc are bought to keep them quiet ha ha!! I wish BTUK would bring all their productions to Brighton so we were on their regular circuit so to speak. In May every year is the Brighton Festival perhaps they could get a day or two here as part of that. I think their next production is Swan Lake so will be interested to see how they adapt this for a small company. They really do have to dance their socks off and have some super quick costume changes....a lovely little company. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Lin I have it on good authority that they have been invited back to Brighton in December possibly to show both Swan Lake and Christmas Carol! Possibly... Btuk are thrilled to be invited back. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porthesia Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Oh Christmas Carol again, oh my goodness that has made my day! Saw BTUK's production last time when at Tunbridge Wells it was wonderful - can't wait. Actually there was a slight malfunction of the boat when I saw the Little Mermaid - handled superbly by the Prince. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Ive only seen it once but will be going to Dunstable on Tuesday to finally see ds as the Prince. You might like to know that he refers to the ship as "a right madam!" Plan b in the case of prop failure (to be fair its rare thank goodness!) is, as far as I understand it curse under breath and improvise. DD and I going to the matinee in Dunstable (her school doesn't go back until Wednesday - stroke of luck) so hope to see you there! Which performance will your ds be the Prince? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 DD and I going to the matinee in Dunstable (her school doesn't go back until Wednesday - stroke of luck) so hope to see you there! Which performance will your ds be the Prince? Both! Helena is mermaid at the matinee and Jess Hill in the evening. Its going to be a long day... Do say hello if you spot me! Re Brighton, ds says they are interested in Christmas Carol so its a matter of finding time to rehearse. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Glad to hear they will be in Brighton again then! I hope they will get long enough here to do both ballets but Ive never seen Christmas Carol so would like to see this one. Unfortunately often Ballet Companies only get one or two days in Brighton. Even the Rambert only got wed-sat!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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