DanJL

I'm very sorry you've experienced those things MAB. Whilst there are sadly always some intolerant individuals, I really think the prevailing culture (in terms of theatre, television etc) is strongly against the forms of prejudice you've listed and generally in favour of celebrating diversity. Certainly agree there could be a more thoughtful way of society engaging with different sets of values however.

I don't think there's a problem with portraying people with offensive attitudes in drama. The issue is when the production actively reinforces those prejudices. In reality, there are things that are clearly unacceptable and others that are more subjective. The latter is where it gets really difficult when deciding whether to programme something made in a previous era. But perhaps the compromise of showing it with a suitable warning is a good solution.

I was born in 1975. I grew up in a time when homophobia, racism, sexism and more were commonplace and often went unchallenged. Presumably this was similar for preceding decades as well. Inevitably some of this fed through to characters in theatre and television, and due to the prevailing culture perhaps little was thought of it by the majority of viewers. I think it's easy to forget how far we've progressed into becoming a more tolerant society. An inevitable impact of which is that language and attitudes in productions from a few decades ago can indeed seem badly out of step with what we would expect and view as being acceptable today.

For me, the great thing about Nutcracker is that, based on the same or similar scenario, different companies manage to bring that magical feeling in different ways. The BRB version has always been a favourite and tonight I was reminded of its many unique and wonderful touches - from scenery / production and costumes, to elements of the choreography and storytelling. It's been a few years since I managed to fit in a visit. Last time I was very impressed by Beatrice Parma as Clara, and tonight it was fantastic to see her dancing Sugar Plum Fairy so beautifully. Rosanna Ely was a lovely and confident Clara (according to the programme, her first season in the role) and I particularly enjoyed Lachlan Monaghan's Drosselmeyer, leading us all through the adventure. Yaoqian Shang was another stand out as Rose Fairy. But overall the whole cast was on great form.

Wonderful casts and I'm particularly excited for this evening, it being the one show of Don Quixote I'm able to attend this season (but also looking forward to the cinema showing!). I was especially hoping to get chance to see Isabella Gasparini's Mercedes, but so many other of my favourites dancing in other roles too 😊

Fair enough that this isn't the topic of this forum and apologies. I would point out that I was simply making a statement on a point of often misunderstood fact rather than seeking to express any opinion on the debate itself. Certainly share the sentiment of your last sentence bridiem.

But the point (regarding the pay element) is that these pay rise negotiations cover a period when inflation has been much higher. If inflation is indeed 5% by the end of the year, this means that prices will be another 5% higher, not that the overall increase over the period in consideration is only 5%. Out of interest, while the basket of goods is still a key basis of inflation statistics, this approach is increasingly being supplemented by richer sources of data.

This doesn't change the fact that inflation has been higher over the past year and a reduction in inflation only means that prices continue to climb from that much higher base at a slightly slower rate. To keep up with all of that, wage increases would need to be far higher than current offers. Only negative inflation would reduce that disparity.

I ended up decided to book nothing at all when the Friends booking opened! Partly due to increased costs - not just the tickets, also trains and particularly accommodation for later finishing shows. The upshot being that I've decided I can only see each production at most one time, which means I want to choose the dates with favourite dancers. And for this season there wasn't any production where I felt I had enough information to do that yet. I almost did for Don Quixote, but it's a close choice between principals so hoping to discover more about supporting casts (possibly once their shows have started) and aim to get late returns. All of which leads me to wonder if it will be worth renewing my Friends membership when it comes up in December.

I noticed in an early comment that Melissa Hamilton is suggested to be in this new piece. For me at least, the prospect of Hamilton in a new McGregor (or any McGregor!) is very enticing! Looking forward to seeing this one 🙂 A few people have tried to make this point already, but it seems to me that the work does have a very specific title, based on the name of many of Herrera's works. It's not the ballet which is untitled, but the works it is based on. In the same way someone may decide to make a ballet inspired by Van Gogh and call it Sunflowers or similar. Seems as good a title as any.

I'm very happy overall - lots of things I haven't seen before (much more than I expected!) and the return of many favourites - some of which I've only seen one cast in before. Of the latter I'm particularly glad about Don Quixote, Winters Tale and Dante Project. And it's always nice to see different casts in Manon, Nutcracker and Swan Lake too 😊

Have to say I was expecting a bit more excitement with so much Ashton and many of the above predictions and wishes coming true! I'm very happy at least 😊

I think one of the issues with the BRB Don Quixote was that guest casting was announced after tickets went on sale - problematic for fans of the BRB dancers who might have bought early tickets. Personally I enjoy the possibility of seeing a guest dancer but it is important to announce it well in advance and give audiences the choice.

For Manon, Lamb has a great history dancing with Muntagirov - would love to see more of that partnership.

These would all be wonderful. Probably unlikely but I'd personally love to see the previous (2021) Nutcracker again - with the alternative battle scene and a fantastic cast (Naghdi, Corrales, Gasparini, Acri). Felt too good to never be seen again!