The Royal Ballet: Frankenstein, May 2016

[RuthE]

Where do they get this stuff from? I had the opportunity to ask Vadim after the Winter's Tale on Saturday why they weren't dancing in Frankenstein, and he said that they simply hadn't had enough rehearsal time. I fully believed him - there is no hint of subterfuge with Vadim.

 

I heard something very similar, via a reliable source.  Preparation time the issue, not quality of the piece.

[aileen]

Vadim has been cast in The Invitation, a ballet he has not danced before and is probably not familiar with. I imagine that what has happened is that he (and therefore Marianela) felt that he had to withdraw from Frankenstein, which has two other casts, and give his full attention to The Invitation, which only has one other cast. 'Refused' is a strong word with a negative connotation; 'reluctantly withdrew' is probably a more accurate description of what happened with no reference to what he/they thought about the work.

[annamk]

For me this was another lavish but disappointingly hollow new production from the RoH. Yet again the company is relying heavily on terrific staging at the expense of thrilling & emotionally involving choreography.  Scarlett may be talented (I thought the pdd were the strongest part of the evening) but IMO he lacks the choreographic range to develop characters that I can care about and to sustain interest for a full length work. His inability to convey deep emotion through dance movement and the narrative choices he made meant that the tragic heart of the Frankenstein story was under-realised and the narrative arc followed appeared closer to a horror movie (why did we need to witness an onstage hanging other than for shock value?). The endless repetitive dances for the corps were a bore and the commissioned music sounded more like a film score. Although they did what they could, ultimately it was a waste of the supremely talented Morera & Bonelli and of a sizeable amount of money. 

[alison]

Can I remind everyone that we don't know what happened behind the scenes, and should not be speculating about rumours, or what we "think" may be the cause of the withdrawal of two of the announced dancers?

 

Thank you.

[capybara]

Can I remind everyone that we don't know what happened behind the scenes, and should not be speculating about rumours, or what we "think" may be the cause of the withdrawal of two of the announced dancers?

 

Thank you.

 

You can indeed, Alison, but, in fairness to everyone here, we only contributed because of what had been written on The Arts Desk. 

[Fonty]

For me this was another lavish but disappointingly hollow new production from the RoH. Yet again the company is relying heavily on terrific staging at the expense of thrilling & emotionally involving choreography. 

 

This seems to be an ongoing theme with just about every new work for the last few years, whether it is a one act or full length ballet. 

 

It does seem to me that before they go the whole hog, and shell out on very expensive sets and costumes, there should be some way of previewing new works in a more simple way. 

 

A big ask, I know, but I would have thought they could come up with some way in which the choreography could be judged on its own.  How many times have I read:  "should be pruned" "lacks emotional depth" "not particularly exciting". 

 

Can I remind everyone that we don't know what happened behind the scenes, and should not be speculating about rumours, or what we "think" may be the cause of the withdrawal of two of the announced dancers?

 

 

 

It wasn't exactly a rumour, was it?  It was in response to a statement in The Arts Desk article, which some people knew to be incorrect? 

[Beryl H]

My initial reaction last night was disappointment but after thinking it through I feel a bit more optimistic and look forward to seeing it tomorrow. Thought  Act 1 was too long and drawn out and contained no stand-out choreography (which is the most important thing for me), too much reliance again on sets, design, and special effects, also I had doubts as to whether the subject was right for ballet, some scenes were repulsive, the audience mood was quite low.  Act 2 improved and there was a lovely pdd for Victor and Elizabeth, and Act 3 was much, much better but sadly also much shorter, it had a really beautiful pdd for Victor and Elizabeth, Laura Morera danced with such softness, gorgeous costume too, also remember a short solo for Alexander Campbell who played Henry Clerval and was rather under-used, also excellent dancing scenes for the corps de ballet, that was all fine although there may have been a problem with the scenery as there was a staircase amid mountain scenery (the interval was longer than intended), and after the rather drawn out killings of Henry and Elizabeth the final scene was spectacular, although I was surprised at how little emotion I felt. 

[Scheherezade]

I enjoyed Frankenstein far more than I had anticipated and how wonderful and, frankly, unexpected, to emerge from a new work without that sense of overwhelming disappointment.

 

Like zxDaveM I thought that the time whizzed by and I agree that the tavern scene illustrated the difference between the committed and studious Victor and his rather more louche fellow students. This isn't to say that I don't think that the piece could be improved. It could. Pruning and tightening in the laboratory scene wouldn't go amiss, likewise more elucidation of other threads of the storyline. On that second point, I totally endorse Sim's proposal of a pas de deux between Victor and the Creature following the Creature's genesis.

 

We differ, however, on Steven McRae's interpretation. I thought that he fleshed out to very real effect the hurt, rejection and pathos in the Creature's trajectory and I felt genuinely and emotionally moved by his portrayal of his/it's arc of destruction, isolation and death. I can't say whether a different portrayal would be more moving but Steven fully engaged my sympathy and, for me, poignantly brought out the tragedy in the Creature's desolation and the terrible consequences of the way that he responded to his needs.

 

Laura Morera, Federico Bonelli, Alexander Campbell, Meaghan Grace Hinkis and the rest of the cast were uniformly terrific, the sets and costumes were superb and the music did its job. Like most film music, it illustrated a mood. Unlike the truly great film music (Assault on the Beautiful Gorky, for example) it didn't do anything more. Serviceable but unmemorable.

 

In my view, then, and despite the improvements that can obviously be made, Frankenstein was a resounding success. The narrative had shape and pace and the dance content advanced and augmented the storyline. Congratulations to everyone involved and especially to Liam Scarlett, who has really come of age.

[aileen]

There seem to be very varied opinions on this piece. Mark Monahan in The Telegraph was really scathing and gave it one star. It's disappointing to hear that there's a tavern scene with harlots. Is this really necessary?

[alison]

I don't think *that* tavern scene was really justified, no. I understand that we need to realise that Victor is totally fixated on his goal and doesn't want to get involved in other aspects of student life, but I thought the tormenting of Henry was rather a distraction.

[jmhopton]

I too was at the stage door last Saturday night and asked Vadim about Frankenstein (having just returned my ticket as he wasn't dancing) and he definitely said he didn't have enough rehearsal time but 'hopefully next time'. It's a pity we didn't have our badges!

[Balletfanp]

I haven't got around to buying mine yet!

[Nina G.]

There seem to be very varied opinions on this piece. Mark Monahan in The Telegraph was really scathing and gave it one star. It's disappointing to hear that there's a tavern scene with harlots. Is this really necessary?

 

Mark Monahan...I never share his opinion, I find him to be very subjective and his personal taste transpires too much.

He should learn to write in a far more objective way. I give him one star!

[Mary]

There seem to be very varied opinions on this piece. Mark Monahan in The Telegraph was really scathing and gave it one star. It's disappointing to hear that there's a tavern scene with harlots. Is this really necessary?

Necessary? It used to be compulsory.....:-)

[aileen]

Well, all critics bring their subjective opinions to their reviews. Much of an individual's reaction to a performance is a matter of taste.

[LinMM]

Thanks for that review Scheherezade!

 

It's interesting about Steven McRae. Whenever I have seen him I've always thoroughly enjoyed his performances.....especially his Oberon..... but this has been so far from the stalls Circle and from 2016 am now mainly in the amphitheatre!! So will be interesting to see what I think from up there on the 18th!!

 

I've never read the book but am tempted to try it before seeing the ballet to clear all the many films have seen on it ( I have a partner who loves anything remotely to do with horror) out of my head.

Will it be possible to bring a fresh mindset to seeing this ballet I wonder??

[CHazell2]

Interesting to see the variety of opinions on here. I can't wait for the cinema transmission so I can make up my own mind. Mind you, it gives me an opportunity to re-read the book on my Kindle.

[CHazell2]

Interesting to see that the tavern scene has received the most criticism. Why is that, do you think? Is sex a subject too risqué for ballet? Or is it just our English sensibilities?

[bridiem]

I think it's just because it's so reminiscent of other ballets and not particularly original choreographically even if the idea behind it is clear. So it's difficult not to think 'here we go again'.

[alison]

It's not the only part which is reminiscent of other ballets, to be fair

[CHazell2]

I think it's just because it's so reminiscent of other ballets and not particularly original choreographically even if the idea behind it is clear. So it's difficult not to think 'here we go again'.

 

Yes, I can understand that. But does everything have to be original? I am sure that scenes such as taverns may seem a bit unnecessary but they often help to illustrate a particular society or how a character reacts to a social situation. Take for example - the tavern scene in Mayerling. Some would say that it was completely unnecessary, too gratuitous. On the other hand, by including that scene MacMillan is showing us a glimpse of the world outside the Hofburg - a world that was yes a bit sordid and fermenting with political intrigue. Yet it is also showing us how Vienna worked at that point in time - particularly with Mitzi Casper spying for Taafe.     

[bridiem]

Yes, I can understand that. But does everything have to be original? I am sure that scenes such as taverns may seem a bit unnecessary but they often help to illustrate a particular society or how a character reacts to a social situation. Take for example - the tavern scene in Mayerling. Some would say that it was completely unnecessary, too gratuitous. On the other hand, by including that scene MacMillan is showing us a glimpse of the world outside the Hofburg - a world that was yes a bit sordid and fermenting with political intrigue. Yet it is also showing us how Vienna worked at that point in time - particularly with Mitzi Casper spying for Taafe.     

 

That's very true. But I think that both the choreography and the music for that scene in Mayerling are much better than in this scene in Frankenstein. Things don't always have to be original - in fact they probably can't always be original - but if they're going to be derivative in theme that's when it matters especially to be fresh in execution.

Edited May 5, 2016 by bridiem

[CHazell2]

That's very true. But I think that both the choreography and the music for that scene in Mayerling are much better than in this scene in Frankenstein. Things don't always have to be original - in fact they probably can't always be original - but if they're going to be derivative in theme that's when it matters especially to be fresh in execution.

 

True. But then it will be fresh to people who are new to ballet. People on here are a bit blasé because they seen it all before - but there are people who might haven never seen a ballet before. Don't forget also that Mr Scarlett is a very young choreographer. I don't think even Sir Kenneth or even Sir Frederick Ashton managed to struck gold time after time. They needed to get into their stride and they must have had some ballets that fell flat.

 

It must be so hard for young choreographers these days - constantly being measured against Ashton and McMillian and the good old days and being found wanting. But that is a discussion for another time.

Edited May 5, 2016 by CHazell2

[Nina G.]

Well, all critics bring their subjective opinions to their reviews. Much of an individual's reaction to a performance is a matter of taste.

 

 

Not necessarily. 

[aileen]

You prefer some dancers to others, Nina (as we all do), and that's not just down to an objective appreciation of their technique or acting ability. What I might find cheesy or self-regarding in a dancer others consider to be winsome / thrilling etc. Performances which I might consider to be nuanced and refined others might find bland and small in scope. Dancers whom I find rather brittle or mannered receive adulation on this site. It's all a question of personal taste.

[aileen]

CHazell2, Scarlett has been given several opportunities by the ROH, along with generous budgets for sets, costumes etc. He has also choreographed works for a number of other companies. He is not therefore a novice choreographer. To me, there's something rather regressive about tavern scenes with harlots in a ballet created in 2016.

[bridiem]

True. But then it will be fresh to people who are new to ballet. People on here are a bit blasé because they seen it all before - but there are people who might haven never seen a ballet before. Don't forget also that Mr Scarlett is a very young choreographer. I don't think even Sir Kenneth or even Sir Frederick Ashton managed to struck gold time after time. They needed to get into their stride and they must have had some ballets that fell flat.

 

It must be so hard for young choreographers these days - constantly being measured against Ashton and McMillian and the good old days and being found wanting. But that is a discussion for another time.

 

That's interesting, and you're right that it's very important to judge choreographers and new works on their own merits and not always to compare them to the comparatively few great works of the past. But if you've seen a lot of ballets you can't watch with the same eyes as a newcomer. I think Liam Scarlett is a very good choreographer, and as you say still young. That doesn't mean that I have to like the tavern scene in Frankenstein (though I didn't object to it as much as some people clearly did).

 

I also think that it's great that on this forum there are people with decades of experience of ballet-watching, and people with hardly any experience. Both bring things of real value.

[Sim]

Gosh that really is an excoriating review from Monahan! He does raise some interesting points about recent new RB productions, so I will start a new thread about that tomorrow.

 

I am starting to wonder if I should be worried about the new Swan Lake....

[RK Martin]

These are just my ramblings , which don't add much to what has already been said and perhaps a bit late in the day in view of most recent (& interesting ) posts .

 

Act 1 felt long (50 minutes ) though there was so much to delight in , were it not for the music , which seemed ( to me) to stay at the same tempo - very suitable for creating an atmosphere for the ballet of Frankenstein at the beginning as the curation went up , but then it didn't seem to move on to match what was being danced on stage in that Act. There were some lovely moments when the relationship between victor and Elizabeth is growing including moments when younger dancers join them on stage as their younger selves - the dancing and the choreography were beautiful , but the music seemed to stay the same and seemed to be urging the story to move on . It felt very rushed and yet at the same time interminably long .

 

What for example ( as others have said ) , was the scene in the bar - it seemed to bear no relation to the ballet - unless perhaps it was to show that Victor had interest in nothing but his medical studies, but I think we " got that " from earlier scenes. Several in the audience around me were shuffling and yawning .

 

Act 2 seemed stronger ( though also long at 45 minutes) - there was a change in the music and more emotion . Emotion in the music seemed missing as a whole- left to Scarlet to convey , as someone said above , he can does so well through his choreography ( in the hands of dancers of last night's calibre ) . The very last scene when the creature hugs the dead Victor was meaningful and heart breaking. I thought " yes" THIS is moving me , but all too late and yet in retrospect , when I reflect today there were moments - such as the look on Elizabeth McGorian's face as her daughter was led off to be hanged . Yet somehow , along with much of the choreography , it all seemed to get easily lost. Maybe that's because it was a first viewing ? I'd be glad of and look forward to another !

 

Act 3 reminded me of La Valse meets Phantom of the Opera , with Elizabeth in a dress that was reminiscent of Giselle. Themes from Phantom in fact seemed to pervade in that act - the staircase , the creature hiding amongst the other guests and hard to detect and the creature himself wanting to love and be loved . This act felt less convincing to me , partly because of the above and partly because there seemed to be not particular relation developed between the creature and Victor.

 

I should mention Laura Morera's eyes on her death. I wondered however she would sustain such large shocked wide eyes , but she did !

 

The staging / scenery was all impressive - especially the converting the body to the creature scene- though rather more flashes and bangs than you would expect for classical ballet and more like musical theatre - but perhaps that's what modern audiences want and the way of recent newer productions like Alice?

 

And I agree that Thomas Whitehead was a memorable and scary professor . Dramatic ( balletic ?!) licence though to have women in the scene as others have also commented ? There was an almost sexual tension in this scene with a feeling that the professor didn't care about the body he was chopping up & a kind of sexual superiority , which perhaps the addition of the women helped to further convey.

 

For me , one of the most memorable and tender scenes was of the creature dancing with the young William Frankinstein -Victor's young brother - before he kills him- danced by the remarkable young person already mentioned by others . The children were all remarkable throughout , I thought.

 

Once Victor had created the creature the creature literally got up and ran off the table and out if the room , and then there was no development in the relationship between them until seven years later when the creature turns up at the house . We lost a feeling that the creature may have been contemplating all this time about the nature of his creation and relation with his creator . All we got was a sense of Victor's angst at having created something though he didn't seem to know what .

 

As others have said , wonderful PDDs with throws reminiscent of Manon, yet somehow , like so many other strong points of this ballet , easily lost . They deserve to be found and to be recognised , and I hope on future viewings they will be.

Edited May 5, 2016 by RK Martin

[FLOSS]

My objection to the tavern scene in Frankenstein is that it does little to advance the narrative and tells the audience very little about Victor and certainly nothing that it does not already know. As for the choreography it is a case of Rake's Progress meets Manon. I don't object to a choreographer being " a snapper up of unconsidered trifles" but if you are going to reuse or refer to someone else's idea do something clever with it and make it work for your ballet. For me the scene is a waste of good dancers and a choreographic equivalent of doodling as is most of the anatomy theatre scene. By way of contrast the brothel scene in Mayerling does actually tell the audience more about Rudolph  than it knew before the scene started. It tells the audience that Rudolph can trust no one not even Mitzi Caspar and it also tells the audience something about his relationship with his wife and it sets up his first encounter with Mary Vetsera. From a purely practical point of view it provided one of his regular dancers with an opportunity to create a character and  an excuse to dance in the ballet as a form of entertainment. Caspar was a popular "entertainer" in Vienna.

Edited May 5, 2016 by FLOSS

[Nina G.]

You prefer some dancers to others, Nina (as we all do), and that's not just down to an objective appreciation of their technique or acting ability. What I might find cheesy or self-regarding in a dancer others consider to be winsome / thrilling etc. Performances which I might consider to be nuanced and refined others might find bland and small in scope. Dancers whom I find rather brittle or mannered receive adulation on this site. It's all a question of personal taste.

 

I agree Aileen, when I write about a performance or dancers I have seen I write as an "amateur critic" and it is indeed my personal opinion. I have a very Russian taste when it comes to liking dancers and I like the real ballerina look. I am not a professional critic. Disliking or liking a certain critic is again a matter of personal taste.

 

A professional critic's review must be based on great in-depth subject knowledge and objective observation.

[Beryl H]

I hardly noticed the tavern scene, will look out for it tonight, The Times has a 4 star review today and it appears that will be the average response from the critics, I agree with the comments made by Mark Monahan about the casting problems this season, one disappointment after another, this inability to have sufficient casts ready has become the norm, many people must have ended up with 3 or more tickets for the same Frankenstein cast!

[Jamesrhblack]

Interesting to see that the tavern scene has received the most criticism. Why is that, do you think? Is sex a subject too risqué for ballet? Or is it just our English sensibilities?

I w Here's if it was there to facilitate some technical changes needed for the following scene....