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JohnS

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  1. Utterly spoiled by yesterday’s double Manon. Two unforgettable performances. A privilege to see Sarah Lamb’s Manon and like others I do hope that’s not her final Manon. Sarah was extraordinarily generous at the Stage Door and in Floral Street, emerging in dressing gown and Manon’s wig, then donning a coat when outside in the damp. I thought Ryoichi Hirano more relaxed in his second Des Grieux and his Act 3 was particularly strong. James Hay was a hugely impressive Lescaut. Last night’s Manon was one of those truly exceptional evenings, Francesca Hayward and Alex Campbell intoxicating throughout. Valentino Zucchetti and Leticia Dias gave strong performances. Gary Avis and Nicol Edmonds were appropriately evil. And a shout out for Kristen McNally’s Madame and Marco Masciari’s Beggar Chief. It all made for a thrilling Royal Ballet performance with Francesca Hayward raising the bar yet again on her Manon. Fabulous to see Francesca and Alex at the Stage Door. Of the eleven performances I’ve seen this run, including the General Rehearsal and cinema relay, last night’s is the one I’d most like to see again. So I’m looking forward immensely to Friday. I’m sure any tickets will quickly be snapped up and those fortunate to be able to do so are in for a treat. But before then on Tuesday it’s the Hamilton cast and who knows if that may change my view.
  2. Very pleased to be on the train heading for London for today’s double Manon. Avanti are running pretty much to time and I don’t think there’ve been any cancellations so far this morning, at least on the main line. With a covering of snow and ice, not the easiest of drives to Penrith but I’d allowed double the normal journey time. I’m pretty sure all the snow will have gone by Sunday afternoon and next week’s Swan Lake General Rehearsal drive should be easier. Whether Avanti continue their recent run of good performance (at least as far as my own arrangements are concerned) may be more of a question.
  3. I returned the ticket to the Box Office and I think it’s been sold.
  4. I returned the ticket to the Box Office and I think it’s been sold.
  5. A final check to see if there’s any interest in this spare ticket before returning it to the Box Office.
  6. A final check to see if there’s any interest in this spare ticket before returning it to the Box Office.
  7. Goodness - that’s awful. Despite Avanti’s grim record, so far I’ve always managed to get to my booked performances (albeit sometimes having to add an extra night for industrial action/grim weather) and never had to miss an Act. And I’m enjoying my Platinum bonus freebie return journey, including a bacon sandwich second breakfast.
  8. I very much enjoyed last night’s Manon and found Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov a stellar pairing. The praise heaped on them in the many posts following their first performance held out the promise of something very special and it was fabulous to experience their second performance. Quite a crowd wanting to see them afterwards and all managed very well by Stage Door staff. I was very pleased to have a few words offering congratulations: Ashton casting remains very much work in progress. Joseph Sissens made a pretty convincing Lescaut although I think less can often be more in the drunk scene. Leticia Dias projected well but I wasn’t sure the steps were quite there. Having seen Christopher Saunders the previous evening, I’d rather adjusted my expectations. Gary Avis’s Gaoler was evil incarnate. I think this was very much Fumi’s and Vadim’s evening. Performances of Manon work best when there is consistency across all the key roles and the corps. I think we’ve had more consistency in a number of performances so far with new casts still to see. I should make clear that the corps have provided a bedrock of excellence throughout this astonishing Manon run.
  9. I have Stalls Circle B96 spare for Saturday’s matinee 2nd March 1:00pm, the Sarah Lamb cast. The price is £63. Please pm me and I’ll get back to you. I’ll return the ticket to the Box Office on Wednesday but wondered if anyone might be interested.
  10. It wouldn’t surprise me when the casting is announced that we see each evening has a unique cast rather than there being alternating casts. With overlaps between the programmes and some dancers no doubt scheduled for two or more ballets, plus other commitments, retirements, injuries etc, I can imagine casting being a major headache.
  11. I’m very pleased to have seen last night’s Manon largely for two reasons. Firstly Sarah Lamb’s finely polished, compelling Manon, a tribute to her years of experience in the role having meticulously weighed her character and motivation. It’s a performance that grips the attention throughout. Secondly James Hay’s Lescaut, again a finely detailed portrayal, complementing Sarah Lamb’s artistry, and fabulous to see him in a dancing role although I’ve loved his recent cameos. I found Ryoichi Hirano rather tentative in his Act 1 solo but he impressed as the evening wore on and Act 3 was appropriately climactic. I didn’t think Meaghan Grace Hinkis projected as well as some Mistresses. And I’m afraid Christopher Saunders’ GM didn’t do much for me. In contrast David Donnelly’s gaoler was terrifying, the rape scene utterly shocking. Liam Boswell made the most of Chief Beggar. I’m very much looking forward to Saturday’s matinee second performance of this cast which would be worth seeing for Sarah Lamb alone. And I’m expecting a number of dancers will find the second performance a bit more relaxing and provide opportunity for them to make the most of their roles.
  12. And at one stage it looked as if Manon and Des Grieux might have to run rather than take the carriage.
  13. I have Stalls Circle B21 (bench seat) spare, price £79, if anyone is interested. I’ll return the ticket to the Box Office on Wednesday. Please pm me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, Manon, Dutchman General Rehearsal etc permitting.
  14. I had a similar thought @PeterS and I’ll be very interested to see how it plays tonight. I didn’t think the Hirano/Hay height difference was as pronounced as that between Clarke/Campbell. There’s opportunity to see Richardson/Hay next week and of course Campbell/Zucchetti on 2nd & 8th.
  15. In the interests of balance I should say I very much enjoyed my Avanti Platinum Club free 1st class trip to London. Going mid week meant I could enjoy the catering. I was offered breakfast, coffee and lunch for the journey starting at 10:00 and getting into London before 1:30, a few minutes late. I said ‘no thanks’ to the breakfast but it certainly looked ok. Coffee and lunch were very welcome. I do think the Gold and Platinum deals have been rather good, particularly because they require no effort on my part - Avanti simply tell me I’ve done sufficient journeys to get the Gold or Platinum free return journey. I’ll look forward to my return leg on Wednesday.
  16. Many thanks for all these posts and I’m very much looking forward to Tuesday’s second performance of the Fume Kaneko cast. Before then it’s the first performance of Sarah Lamb’s cast, including James Hay/Meaghan Grace Hinkis as Lescaut/Mistress. I’ve been meaning to add a comment on the second Hayward/Sambe performance which I thought was outstanding. Sambe in particular was much more secure and his first solo was fabulous. Hayward was mesmerising throughout. I thought Campbell and Sambe were really well matched. Lescaut’s domination of Des Grieux at the end of Act 1 seemed much more powerful. In the cinema relay with Clarke, the height difference didn’t do Clarke any favours at all and, as others have said, I think Clarke and Hirano might have provided better balance.
  17. I thought these were all organised by the Royal Ballet but I don’t know if individuals contribute to the costs.
  18. Summer booking went extremely well for me on Tuesday - General Rehearsals, the Ashton triples and Sarasota programmes, Winter’s Tales, an extra Swan Lake, and the Pappano gala. I think I was finished by 9:40, my third purchase as I didn’t want to fall foul of the 30 minute checkout timer and I also decided to stay an extra night to see a couple more Sarasota performances. No waiting and no problems at all with the website.
  19. Alex as Lescaut was at the stage door fairly quickly, perhaps a 30 minutes wait, and that may give a bit of a guide for 2nd March. I can well see it may be a fair bit longer on 8th March.
  20. Many thanks @Lizbie1. I managed to get a ticket - my favourite Balcony seats had gone (A33 or A53) so I opted for a front row of the Amphitheatre aisle seat. I think there’s a good view of the orchestra. Here’s a link for the seat map - I hope it works for you: https://www.roh.org.uk/seatmap?performanceId=59419
  21. I’d already got a ticket for the 8th but I couldn’t resist picking up a ticket for the 2nd. Alex Campbell and Francesca Hayward have given so many memorable performances in recent years and how fitting for Alex to sign off with Francesca in Manon.
  22. Congratulations Alex Campbell and so pleased he will be dancing Des Grieux to bring the curtain down on this particular chapter with the Royal Ballet. What a special evening 8th March promises to be.
  23. I don’t think there’s a thread as yet but I received the details the other day and I see the seat map has been published. And booking for seats other than stalls/grand tier is part of Summer booking ie starting from 20th February. Given the very high prices for some seats, I was pleasantly surprised that standing tickets are £25 and some restricted view seats are cheaper than Swan Lake (for example Stalls Circle bench seats). I’ll be interested to see what seats are available next week.
  24. From the Stage Door I hear Ashton casting remains work in progress. I assume patrons who are already booking are having to do so blind and that may be the position next week when Friends booking begins. At least the Ashton programme lends itself to seeing double shows (including the General Rehearsals) and sometimes on successive days. But I recognise that doesn’t help if people are wanting to see particular dancers and can only make one performance.
  25. I can’t remember when I last had a pair of slippers but having read the ‘Twinkle’ reviews, perhaps I should buy a pair?
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