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Have just seen this from Dance Europe on Facebook:

The Australian Ballet and The Royal Ballet have announced an artistic exchange. The Australian Ballet principal Kevin Jackson will perform the role of The Prince in Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker at Covent Garden on 12 and 15 December, and Royal Ballet Australian principal Alexander Campbell will dance the Prince in Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella, partnering Leanne Stojmenov, in Australia later this year – dates to be confirmed.

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I remember Kevin Jackson being wonderful with the stunning Amber Scott in Ratmansky's Cinderella when The Australian Ballet visited here a few years back.  Well worth the peek I'd say.  He was also glorious as Florimund in the Australian Ballet's Sleeping Beauty recently on Sky.  A fair trade for our very own magnificent Mr. Campbell I'd say (as long as it was for not too long that is as Campbell is very much needed back [at his artistic] home!) 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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3 hours ago, betterankles said:

Similar to many many exchanges some years back, with ABT, Birmingham Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Mariinsky Ballet....

 

Yes, except that I thought the (recent) ABT one was supposed to be the start of an ongoing exchange with various companies, then it seemed just to fizzle out ... until now.  And I'm surprised to see it being just the Nutcracker again, on this side.  I suppose the sheer number of performances scheduled means that they can bring in a guest without adversely affecting the career prospects of more junior dancers.

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17 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

A fair trade for our very own magnificent Mr. Campbell I'd say (as long as it was for not too long that is as Campbell is very much needed back [at his artistic] home!) 

Unfortunately Campbell is not on the cast list for RB Nutcracker at all this winter (just released). Also Hayward is only doing SPF, not Clara.... :(  Much more to digest from the cast listings...

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27 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Unfortunately Campbell is not on the cast list for RB Nutcracker at all this winter (just released).

 

Presumably that's when he's doing Cinderella with the Australian Ballet?

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Just a couple of comments about the pricing structure for 2018/19.

 

The 'dynamic pricing' I think is more about having pretty much separate pricing for each production, with seats not being allocated to a particular price band.  For example seats H3 and H4 in the orchestral stalls (favourites of mine) can be in the purple, green or orange price bracket depending on the production.  There are many other instances where seats move between price bands - indeed H1 and H2 are in 4 price bands, purple, green, orange and pink.

 

The second point is that the matinee price discount varies considerably, ranging from 0% (i.e. no discount at all for Hansel and Gretel -unless that's an error which I doubt as there are only 5 performances in total, 2 of which are matinees) to 20% (for Nutcracker).  For Mayerling the discount is 16%, Bayadere 8% (but 0% for standing unless that's a misprint), and 12.5% for Carmen.

 

I'm not making a point of criticism but simply drawing attention to the information now available.  In recent years there has been some flexibility in price categories for seats: what we see in the Autumn is much greater flexibility which I think is really the point of 'dynamic pricing'.  I imagine it's well worth having a good look at what is happening to your preferred seats.

 

 

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Ballet prices are bad enough but opera prices have really gone through the roof. Because of mobility problems I can't use the amphi, and try to get SC side seats. There used to be a few at a lower price - these now seem to have gone for most productions and so.it looks as though I'll be priced out of opera. And the bench seats qualify for the most uncomfortable seats in London! 

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On 21/3/2018 at 15:57, jmhopton said:

Perhaps it may be possible to review the ballet and put back some of the omissions such as the Indian dance and Nikyia's 'happy' dance at the betrothal when she thinks Solor has given her the flowers.

1

I definitely agree with this statement. Leaving out the 'happy' dance in the variation of Nykia's death does make it lose some meaning.

I do love Nureyev version too. But I bet Nunez and Osipova together can make us forget about those missing parts. 

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1 hour ago, Jillykins said:

Ninamargaret do you belong to the Access scheme? The help for people with mobility problems is wonderful! Without this scheme my life would be so different. Box office staff helpful and thoughtful.

Yes, I know about The scheme but fortunately I'm not bad enough to need it! I often go with a friend who is very much in the same condition and we just totter around, use the lifts and generally managing. I think generally speaking theatres have improved their attitudes and facilities for those with mobility needs - the RSC in Stratford is excellent.

 

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Regardless of Access schemes, and any discounts available, though, if the seats are moved out of someone's price range (not within the purview of the Access department), I'm not sure there's a lot that can be done, short of complaining to the powers that be.  I might have minor access needs myself, but since the ROH got rid of the 50% discount I couldn't afford any of the tickets anyway, so what's the point?

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  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎21‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 11:20, alison said:

Yes, as far as I'm concerned, its major flaw is concentrating on the Victor/Elizabeth pairing rather than the Frankenstein/Creature one.  Rather a major thing to correct, though.

 

Courtesy of today's links, it does appear that Scarlett will be revising/has revised the production:

 

"Here’s a chance for me to work on it, it’s clear to me what doesn’t work — I’m not blinkered by my own ego. When I staged it in San Francisco I changed quite a lot. Musically, things were cut and the story was finessed."

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/liamscarlett-on-remaking-swanlake-for-the-royalballet-ggbsl7zs6?shareToken=98fa875213dae3ccaef1b1c2900cf73e

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  • 4 months later...
On ‎25‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 22:04, Pulcinella said:

A statement on the ROH website about pricing and seating plan. By dynamic does this means seat prices will change depending on demand or lack of?

 

 "A new dynamic price mapping tool is coming very soon. This will enable all customers to see pricing across the auditorium through a clear and easy to use online platform.

 

I can't say that its current incarnation is particularly "clear", I must say.  Nor does it currently show all pricing.

 

 

EDIT: This post is referring to the plan which comes up when you click on a production's "Not On Sale | Find Out More" button.  BBB's contribution below is far more helpful.

Edited by alison
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Some more discussion from elsewhere of the "dynamic seating plan":

 

On ‎05‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 20:49, Josephine said:

Does anyone know please how to view the online seating plan and prices for ROH performances in the Winter season? I thought I remembered being able to view this information a few weeks ago, but can no longer access it, whether logged in as a Friend or not. I have been wondering if it is now revealed in stages as booking opens for each level of Friend in turn? Alternatively is it just a technical hitch?

 

On ‎05‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 21:48, Bluebird said:

Go to the production page. For example, here's the one for the Patineurs mixed bill:

 https://www.roh.org.uk/mixed-programmes/les-patineurs-winter-dreams-the-concert

 

Click on "Not on Sale. Find out more" and the interactive chart will appear

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 00:09, Coated said:

If you're using an elderly device like my 6 year old iPad that can't be updated to the most newfangled versions of operating systems and browsers anymore, you might find that the interactive seating map stopped working a short while ago - it's too advanced for antiquities now. Thankfully that doesn't interfere with actual booking, and the seating map is working just fine on any reasonably up to date device.

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 01:03, alison said:

Not on my slightly over 3-year-old device, it isn't :(

And those interactive seating plans are absolute rubbish - and I presume there's no easy way of saving them for ease of reference?  Short of taking a screenshot for each individual price, I mean.

 

Incidentally, how do you get at the ISP once a programme is on sale?

 

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 01:14, Coated said:

Haven't figured that one out either. Personally, I loathe the interactive maps irregardless of whether they are working or not.

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 06:01, Josephine said:

Thank you Bluebird for replying. This is exactly the route I have used successfully in the past. Unfortunately now after clicking 'Not on sale / find out more' the page no longer shows me the interactive chart or any form of seating plan/price information.

 

Thanks also Coated and Alison for comments. I'm viewing on Samsung Galaxy S8+, which previously gave me seating plan access as stated above. I have not had access problems on any other organisation's web site, but only with this feature on the ROH pages.

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 08:16, fashionista said:

The seating plan gives blocks of prices but it is not coloured so you can see precisely which seat costs what - I think it needs to be more specific.

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 10:07, alison said:

 

Yes.  I want to be able to see at a glance where I can afford to sit, so that I can make a decision on what works best for me.  And given that not all seats are released immediately booking opens, if the ISP is lost immediately booking has started that is unhelpful, to say the least.  I was expecting a proper seating plan to be online somewhere, as they do for the Hochhauser seasons, and as they did until this year for the booking booklets.  This is totally inadequate.  Plus, of course, once seats start selling there is no way of telling on the normal booking pages what greyed-out seats cost.

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 10:19, JohnS said:

 

Apologies in advance but when booking for a performance, I'm not too interested in what tickets might have cost if they are no longer available.  I'm more interested in the prices of available seats.

 

On ‎06‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 10:25, alison said:

Of course.  I'm just saying that once booking has started there appears to be no way of getting an overview of the price bands any more.  Unless there is actually a banded PDF file somewhere which I haven't spotted yet?

 

23 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

Not that I've seen. My slight fear is that this is all clearing the way for dynamic pricing.

 

23 hours ago, alison said:

I'm wondering that, too.  My only thought is that it would be a PR disaster.  Can you imagine the result if all those Friends/Patrons found out they turned out to be paying over the odds for unpopular programmes?!

 

22 hours ago, JohnS said:

 

Isn't it a question of choosing the certainty of booking a seat when booking opens against the possibility of a lower price in the future and less choice of seating (unless nobody books) - this is already the case when discounted tickets are sometimes made available.

 

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Getting back to the subject of shocking ticket price rises, having looked at the link which BBB provided, I've just found another:

Last time around, I booked several Mayerlings around the mid-£20 mark in the Balcony Row C "tall seats" where I couldn't get anything else in my price range.  They can be very hit-and-miss, ranging from a good view if you're lucky to virtually no visibility if you aren't, and all totally dependent on the people sitting in front of you, but at that price it was a risk I was prepared to take.  Looking at the prices for those same seats for this autumn's Bayadere and Mayerling, they are now all over £30, and up to £37.  Even worse, the triple bill has gone up from somewhere around the £11 mark, I think, to £24.

 

At those prices, I am not taking the risk of having two people's heads virtually completely blocking my view of the stage all evening.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 11/04/2018 at 05:51, Scheherezade said:

 

Does anybody know anything about Kevin Jackson?

 

Kevin has also guested with ABT, dancing des Grieux with Xiomara Reyes, back in 2014. He's a princely prince, or he will be once he's fined down a bit of his Spartacus bulk!

 

 

images.jpgNijinsky 18 months ago versus Spartacus a couple of weeks agoindex.jpg

 

Edited by Sophoife
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LOL Alison, he's got to do the Ratmansky Cinderella here as well! I must say, the other three Spartacuses (Spartaci?) were nowhere near as bulked up!

 

Also I think because RB doesn't have that Cinderella, Campbell has the whole ballet to learn so will be away for longer. As his partner Leanne Stojmenov is retiring at the end of the Cinderella season (she was the creator of this version of the role), at least, knowing his dates, I know when to book for!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Any idea when Spring casting will be out? I'd like to see the Romeo and Juliet casting before booking for Spring at Sadlers Wells, which opens to the public on 5th November.

Edited by Lizbie1
public booking date corrected
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I asked the box office a few weeks back (when switching tickets to book for Matthew Ball’s performance tonight) and asked then - the gentleman I spoke with said he expected casting ‘imminently’ late October/ early November. 

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14 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

Any idea when Spring casting will be out? I'd like to see the Romeo and Juliet casting before booking for Spring at Sadlers Wells, which opens to the public on 5th November.

 

It has to be published very shortly because of the various booking dates.

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