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The Royal Ballet: Manon, London, March-May 2018


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Yes, I also think it's pretty spectacular....and so do the ladies of the night:  I had so much fun watching them through my bins, observing all of their jealousies of Manon and how they conveyed this to the audience.  I do hope the audiences have been noticing all the background scenarios and vignettes!

 

In one of the performances last week there was a bit in Act 2 where the ladies and gentlemen re-appear in the salon, having done what they are there to do.  Olivia Cowley had this whole bit at the table where she crossed her hands in front of her, as if to show that she had been handcuffed, and started to cry, and was then comforted by her friends.  It looked as if she had been through a pretty hard time in that bedroom.  I haven't seen anyone else do this.  This is one of the things I love about MacMillan's narrative ballets;  the freedom to create your own story, no matter how 'insignificant' a character you might be portraying.  KM ensured that none of his characters were insignificant, and it makes for very interesting ballet-watching....not to mention one of the many reasons why I like to see his ballets multiple times each run.  I've been watching them for years, and every single time I discover something new.  This is a credit to him, and to the Royal Ballet.  

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6 minutes ago, Sim said:

This is one of the things I love about MacMillan's narrative ballets;  the freedom to create your own story, no matter how 'insignificant' a character you might be portraying.  KM ensured that none of his characters were insignificant, and it makes for very interesting ballet-watching....not to mention one of the many reasons why I like to see his ballets multiple times each run.  I've been watching them for years, and every single time I discover something new.  This is a credit to him, and to the Royal Ballet

 

But... is this truly to KM's credit? Or is it simply that he wasn't particularly focused in giving the corps something to do and so the dancers are left to come up with something themselves? Because that's always been my assumption!

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Yes it is to his credit.....by giving the dancers that very freedom and trust to come up with something appropriate.  

 

He was actually very focused on giving the corps things to do.  When I interviewed Belinda Hatley a few years ago she said she was astonished when she was young and in the corps of R&J and during a rehearsal he came up to her and asked what her back story was, and who she was.  She said she had no back story, she was just in the corps.  KM said "well, every human has a back story, so what's yours on this stage?  Let's come up with something."  That was a real eye-opener to me.  

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2 hours ago, alison said:

Actually, I've always thought the dress is pretty spectacular - it's one of the few ballet costumes I covet.

 

1 hour ago, penelopesimpson said:

Me, too.  Would love a copy.  And mighty awful I'd look in it!

 

I agree it looks great!    I just  think it rather contrasts  with her outer cloak in terms of the colour, and the extent of material; but perhaps I am reading too much into this, and  I will completely defer to others on how desirable it would be to wear it! 

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7 minutes ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

I adore the black dress. I think its colour does symbolise a ‘loss of innocence’. 

 

Black is traditionally the colour of mourning, though originally it signified innocence (think of black-clad nuns), perhaps red would better signify her new attitude to life.

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5 hours ago, Sim said:

Yes it is to his credit.....by giving the dancers that very freedom and trust to come up with something appropriate.  

 

He was actually very focused on giving the corps things to do.  When I interviewed Belinda Hatley a few years ago she said she was astonished when she was young and in the corps of R&J and during a rehearsal he came up to her and asked what her back story was, and who she was.  She said she had no back story, she was just in the corps.  KM said "well, every human has a back story, so what's yours on this stage?  Let's come up with something."  That was a real eye-opener to me.  

 

Somewhere in the electronic programme for Manon which I have acquired but not yet read, I think I spotted an article on coaching the corps in the crowd scenes.  That might shed some more light on the subject.

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And thus another run of Manon's is over and I couldn't have asked for a better ending. Clarke and Cuthbertson simply nailed the last pdd, there was even a smidgen of moisture in my normally bone dry eyeballs. Initially elated at their escape, De Grieux slowly realised Manon had nothing left in her, but held on to hope until the very last moment, trying to share his remaining strength. Clarke's characterisation was spot on for me and Cuthbertson excelled at portraying utter exhaustion, becoming increasingly wane until you could practically see life escaping her body. The last pdd works best for me if it starts with a slightly elated De Grieux, whose initial happiness or hope amplifies the tragedy of Manon's death and these two got it just right for my taste. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I agree, Coated.  I loved the whole performance.  What beautiful dancing from Reece, and only his second go at the role.  A star in the making.  Lauren played Manon as knowing, feisty, yet somehow resigned to her fate.  A very different interpretation, and it made me think, and therefore it worked for me.  Great way to end what has been a fascinating and very successful run of this very complex ballet.  Huge congratulations to the whole company.  

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Made it to London in time for the Royal's closing performance of Manon.  I've previously seen the ballet performed by the Mariinsky, Paris Opera, and Houston Ballet, but until now had never seen the ballet danced by the company it was created on.  And this is crucial: a company adept at MacMillan always finds ways to make every character come alive, from Manon to the last harlot.  In the Royal's hands, the various subplots don't overburden the ballet, but rather enhance this duality of decadence and despair prevalent in 18th century France.  

 

Cuthbertson is not necessarily a natural Manon. Her demeanor in the opening scenes is stately and regal, even a bit mysterious when deciding whether Des Grieux is worth giving her heart to.  But her Manon is no fool: she makes clear from the beginning that G.M. is nothing to her, but for the jewels and riches he provides her.  For Manon, G.M.'s very presence is disconcerting, which makes the decision to help Des Grieux cheat at the game of cards more calculated than impulsive.  Cuthbertson is an inherently reserved dancer with sinuous port de bras and elegantly shaped feet.  Though very beautiful throughout the ballet, she lacked the eroticism and abandonment I've seen from Gueren, Guillem, Vishneva.  Part of this is likely due to her new partnership with Clarke, which while muted at the beginning did build in intensity as the ballet progressed.  Thankfully for them, and fortunately for us, their partnership peaks at the end of the ballet, where her love for Des Grieux and fight for survival was desperately and movingly danced.  

 

For his second (?) performance of Des Grieux, Clarke showed no signs of nerves nor any difficulty in partnering as had been reported in his debut.  He seems about six feet tall, with everlasting limbs and creamy, sustained pirouettes.  The treacherous first act solo was well navigated with soft landings and great control, and he was stalwart in both the subsequent pas de deux with presage lifts all executed with ease.  His Des Grieux appeared to not realize the extent of his love for Manon until it was threatened to be taken away.  Clarke lacks the volume and bravura of a more experienced Des Grieux, though his naivety is conveyed well.  A bit impassioned in the first act, his performance took off more in the latter part of the second act into the third, where the audience realized the lengths he would take to stay with Manon and keep her alive.

 

Ryoichi Hirano is uncharacteristically tall for Lescaut and physically seems more a Des Grieux.  He was stern and brooding, as clear in his motives in Act I as he was inebriated in Act II. Itziar Mendizabal as his mistress is not a standout dancer with a stiff line in arabesque, but her sensuous Mistress is one of her better roles.  Elizabeth McGorian was a glamorous Madame and Thomas Whitehead a domineering Gaoler.  Bennet Gartside as Monsieur G.M. was not as imposing a presence as the role requires, failing to convey the extent of his power over Manon, Lescaut, and Des Grieux.  Fumi Kaneko was a standout as one of the dueling mistresses, very petty and mischievous.   Orchestra was in mostly top form with great conducting by Martin Yates.

 

One thing: did anyone notice Lauren Cuthbertson ditch her shawl in the first part of the Act II solo?  I assume she had forgotten to do so earlier, as I have never seen that before.

 

 

 

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Yes, some of us did notice.  We assumed that she had simply forgotten to take it off at the table!  She divested herself of it very elegantly, as if it were part of the seduction.  I loved the way the girls made it part of the scene:  fighting over it, taking turns trying it on, and eventually ensuring that it was back at the table for Des Grieux to find before his Act 2 solo.  Brilliantly done!

 

Lauren had also got stuck to Ryo earlier, but he undid the problem so quickly that it was hardly noticeable.  

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10 minutes ago, Sim said:

Yes, some of us did notice.  We assumed that she had simply forgotten to take it off at the table!  She divested herself of it very elegantly, as if it were part of the seduction.  I loved the way the girls made it part of the scene:  fighting over it, taking turns trying it on, and eventually ensuring that it was back at the table for Des Grieux to find before his Act 2 solo.  Brilliantly done!

 

 

Agreed on the excellent stage craft utilised in returning the shawl to the table (though it did make a bit of a racket when Cuthbertson flung it to the floor!).

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A great performance of the last act pdd last night, after already seeing Alexander Campbell, last night Reece Clarke acted his heart out too, as well as partnering faultlessly,  they took Des Grieux to new heights for me!  Although Reece Clarke is not as experienced as Lauren Cuthbertson, there's no doubt there is something special and exciting about them as a couple, it was a lovely way to end this run!

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2 hours ago, alison said:

 

A great read, full stop.  I wonder whether she paid any attention to anyone else for the entire evening :) 

 

Ha!  I guess I was fortunate to see these performances towards the end of the run.. it's certainly helpful to know what to look out for in advance, since there's so much going on in this fascinating ballet.  It was a gift to have 50 minutes of intervals to frantically scribble down notes, too!

 

Thanks so much, everyone, for reading, and for the kind comments (and a huge thank you to Jan for sharing my post).  I really appreciate the interest.  I've just joined the board and I'm looking forward to joining the discussions with you all.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Manon: The Movie (sorry - I couldn't resist 😊)  has finally made it to Oz. I won't repeat what everyone has said. Well, yes, I will. It was fantastic. Muntagirov and Lamb were amazing; the intimacy of film catching every expression;  you see Manon begin to realise that she has power over M GM. And  Muntagirov - such passion, such devotion, such despair and such purity of line. But what I really wanted to say was a huge thank you to forum members. Originally, I was not going to go. I had seen the DVD featuring Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta, and I did not like Manon or understand her actions. I was, however, very aware that this was not only a story set in the first half of the eighteenth century. What it depicts is the daily experience of thousands of migrant and refugee women (with no Des Grieux, of course). So I also felt betrayed, almost, that this story was safely consigned to the past. I felt like a voyeur.  But the responses on this thread, the discussion, the descriptions of so many magnificent performances, convinced me that I had to give it a go. So I went. With a good deal of trepidation. And I was blown away. Lamb showed me Manon's multi-layered motivation, her calculation and her naivity. Her brother was no longer merely a figure of evil, but a man using whatever came to hand to try (not very successfully)  to escape a life of poverty and degradation. I could go on, but it's late, both the hour and this contribution to the thread. But thank you, forum members, you are skillful teachers.

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I’ve just managed to watch the Cinema Broadcast of Manon and wanted to record how hugely impressed I was by Sarah Lamb. For some reason, she is a dancer I haven’t always warmed to in the theatre, for all her technical accomplishment, and have had my reservations about her being featured in quite so many of the live relays. However, in close up it is possible to see exactly why she is chosen. Her face reads absolutely beautifully and expressively which allied to her pliancy and elegance of movement made for a very moving performance. What has read as “coolness” in a large theatre is revealed on the screen as “intelligence and understanding.” I’d be interested to know if other members have had similar experiences with this artist.

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I appreciate Lamb's technical artistry, and I thought her performance had vastly improved by the end of Act 3, but I'm afraid that compared to Osipova and Hayward's Manons I was somewhat underwhelmed by the cinema relay. I didn't think she had a great deal of chemistry with Muntagirov, and I felt that her dancing - while technically brilliant - lacked the passion that I like to see in Manon. I wasn't really feeling much by the end of the performance - when I saw Osipova I was close to tears, and Hayward managed to get me to cry!

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1 hour ago, Jamesrhblack said:

 I’d be interested to know if other members have had similar experiences with this artist.

 

I fell in love with Sarah Lamb's dancing the first time I saw her in a masterclass for Thais. I find her interpretations intelligent (she is a very bright young woman), well thought out, and with detail and finesse. Her Sylph for example, came across as an innocent scamp with a hint of wilful naughtiness, with a mixture of humour and pathos that was unmatched. In many works performed by multiple casts, she often ends up as one of my favourites. 🙂

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4 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

 

I fell in love with Sarah Lamb's dancing the first time I saw her in a masterclass for Thais. I find her interpretations intelligent (she is a very bright young woman), well thought out, and with detail and finesse. Her Sylph for example, came across as an innocent scamp with a hint of wilful naughtiness, with a mixture of humour and pathos that was unmatched. In many works performed by multiple casts, she often ends up as one of my favourites. 🙂

I didn't see the masterclass, Dave, but I also fell in love with her impeccable dancing through her performance in Thais. Similarly, of the three Sylph's I saw (Lamb/Cojocaru/Rojo), hers was the interpretation that moved me the most for all the reasons you mention above. That said, there are times when I have found her a little detached. With Hayward's Manon it was as if the movement and feeling flowed through her body together. With Lamb I felt as if I was seeing the two things separately. Hard to explain, but there, I have tried.  Perhaps, because Sarah Lamb is so perfect,  I feel I am missing a sense of abandon? 

Going back to James' original post, I definitely had this experience watching Sylvie Guillem close up vis a vis far away.

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4 hours ago, Darlex said:

With Hayward's Manon it was as if the movement and feeling flowed through her body together. With Lamb I felt as if I was seeing the two things separately. Hard to explain, but there, I have tried.

It was also Hayward as Manon, (and  Takada), who really impressed and moved me, and will stick in my memory. Somehow I did not  get the same feeling from Lamb in the live cinema version.  

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