Autumn 2018/19 RB Booking Experience ..

[Bluebird]

31 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

If you mean that Upper Slips is a band cheaper than Side Amphi, I think that's been the case for a while prior to the recent Summer season. Side Amphi got kicked up a band for Swan Lake and a couple of the Autumn shows, I think (making those seats two bands higher than US).

 

It was only the opera that had the "better" Upper Slips tickets moved up a rung for a while, to join Side Amphi.

 

My head hurts now.

 

I realise that the Side Amphi has always been in a higher band than the Upper Slips.  The point I was making was that the Upper Slips are now back to their regular price - i.e. the complaints have borne fruit.  However the price of the Side Amphi has remained at a higher price than before. Obviously this price is still reasonable for those who only come to a few performances but, for the ‘regulars’, this increase can make a big difference.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Bluebird

[Jillykins]

Friends membership invaluable for me with Access membership too. I got all my first choices in both Main house and Clore. It is expensive but well worth it for me. Hope you all get what you want. Maybe it’s the weather but I keep thinking of Les Patineurs longingly!

[LinMM]

Actually I'm really looking forward to that as its SO long since I've seen it but by the time I've made my mind up which cast to go for it will probably be sold out!!

[ninamargaret]

Maybe a case for programming Nutcracker in the summer in future! All those snowflakes might cool us down  a bit.

[Xandra Newman]

All Nutcracker performances by Marianella Nunez/Vadim Muntagirov, Yasmine Naghdi/Kevin Jackson and Francesca Hayward/Steven McRae are sold out already! Oh dear, I will have to cue for returns  

[alison]

Goodness.  Although that might be because they're pre-Christmas, rather than because of who's dancing.

[aliceinwoolfland]

A shame that Naghdi and Hayward only have one show each when they are so popular. I feel that Hayward especially could have done with two given her lack of big roles in this season. Also, I know she is the most experienced principal with a luminous RB career, but it’s a bit frustrating to always see the same line up - Nunez and Muntagirov - and they also do most opening nights. They’re not always the best pairing, I don’t know why they’re exempt from KOH’s preference for mixing up couples, and I don’t think Nunez is best suited to every role in the RB’s repertoire. 

[Richard LH]

9 minutes ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

A shame that Naghdi and Hayward only have one show each when they are so popular. I feel that Hayward especially could have done with two given her lack of big roles in this season. Also, I know she is the most experienced principal with a luminous RB career, but it’s a bit frustrating to always see the same line up - Nunez and Muntagirov - and they also do most opening nights. They’re not always the best pairing, I don’t know why they’re exempt from KOH’s preference for mixing up couples, and I don’t think Nunez is best suited to every role in the RB’s repertoire. 

Alice if you are referring to SPF in Nutcracker, Nadghi and Hayward actually have two shows each.

[aliceinwoolfland]

Oops, my mistake!

[capybara]

I agree with those who do not always want to see a Muntagirov/Nunez pairing but it might be a question of who is tall enough to partner her. Soares and Kish are not dancing the Nutcracker Prince and Bonelli is paired with Morera. Maybe she could dance with Hirano (who, very surprisingly, hasn't been cast as Basilio in Don Quixote), thus offering the option of Muntagirov partnering one of the younger ballerinas

 

Incidentally, I believe that, in common with others, Nunez/Muntagirov only have 2 Nutcrackers this Christmas.

[alison]

Lucky them.  There are even more who only have one, I think.

[JohnS]

 

7 hours ago, alison said:

Lucky them.  There are even more who only have one, I think.

 

As regards Sugar Plum Fairy I see Calvert, Stix-Brunel and Kaneko have one performance but eight women have two performances.

[Xandra Newman]

That's rather normal I think: 7 out of those 8 who have been given two performances are Principals (except Choe, the longest serving First Soloist), the other 3 are First Soloists. There are First Soloists such as Kobayashi and Hamilton who are no longer cast as SPF.

[alison]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

 

 

As regards Sugar Plum Fairy I see Calvert, Stix-Brunel and Kaneko have one performance but eight women have two performances.

 

So many?  And I thought Choe only had one performance ...

[JohnS]

Choe is 15 December matinee (the Paul Hamlyn performance) and 28 December.

[SPD444]

For anyone interested in the Insight on "The Unknown Soldier" on the 27th September the web site is strange. It is currently showing 6 tickets available but on clicking "Buy" it shows "Sold Out" however if you click on the "best available" option it will allocate you with tickets. Another oddity.

[alison]

6 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Choe is 15 December matinee (the Paul Hamlyn performance) and 28 December.

 

Ah, so effectively one performance as far as the general public is concerned, then.  Thanks.

 

And presumably various of the un-/under-used dancers may be appearing in the Patineurs mixed bill.

[Richard LH]

4 hours ago, SPD444 said:

For anyone interested in the Insight on "The Unknown Soldier" on the 27th September the web site is strange. It is currently showing 6 tickets available but on clicking "Buy" it shows "Sold Out" however if you click on the "best available" option it will allocate you with tickets. Another oddity.

Thanks for that SPD444 - I have just managed to get a 2 seats together by clicking on the "best available" option, and currently  there still seem to be options available either for  2 seats or 1 seat.  But Insights seem very popular - nothing now available, it seems, for the  Mayerling,  La B, or Nutcracker ones. As these are to be filmed, hopefully they will be available online. 

[RuthE]

34 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Thanks for that SPD444 - I have just managed to get a 2 seats together by clicking on the "best available" option, and currently  there still seem to be options available either for  2 seats or 1 seat.  But Insights seem very popular - nothing now available, it seems, for the  Mayerling,  La B, or Nutcracker ones. As these are to be filmed, hopefully they will be available online. 

 

They almost always sell out immediately (particularly the ones with performance content) and even as a Supporting Friend I rarely manage to get the ones I want on my priority booking day.  However, I have found that there are a substantial number held back by the house for whatever reasons, and with a little persistence I always manage to get something eventually, usually a lot nearer the date of the event.

Edited July 27, 2018 by RuthE

[SPD444]

3 minutes ago, RuthE said:

 

They almost always sell out immediately (particularly the ones with performance content) and even as a Supporting Friend I rarely manage to get the ones I want on my priority booking day.  However, I have found that there are a substantial number held back by the house for whatever reasons, and with a little persistence I always manage to get something eventually, usually a lot nearer the date of the event.

 

I believe they have to keep a percentage available to the general public of every performance to maintain their lottery funding.

[Richard LH]

Thanks Ruth. I have not been to one before, only seen them online...looking forward to it as our first event of the new season!

[alison]

25 minutes ago, SPD444 said:

 

I believe they have to keep a percentage available to the general public of every performance to maintain their lottery funding.

 

I thought that was only for performances, not insights, but I may be wrong.

[SPD444]

9 minutes ago, alison said:

 

I thought that was only for performances, not insights, but I may be wrong.

 

You could be right, Alison.  Someone out their will know.

[RuthE]

3 hours ago, SPD444 said:

 

I believe they have to keep a percentage available to the general public of every performance to maintain their lottery funding.

 

I don’t know whether this applies to Insights anyway, but I’ve never had any more luck on public booking day than on my priority booking day. Later releases of tickets initially retained by the house are the way to go.

[LinMM]

Richard LH I had that problem too with the Insight. It said "Buy" and couldn't believe my luck for once but then when you went in it had sold out in small letters. I nearly thought oh well that's that but decided to try and go ahead and see what happened so I did that best available option button and it went ahead but all the way through the transaction I was expecting some message to come up to say it was sold out!! 

Even when I'd finally got the ticket I wasn't sure whether to ring the opera house to double check it was a valid ticket!! 

All a bit strange!

[Richard LH]

Lin this seems to apply to all Insights in the Clore at the moment. The red "Buy" button indicates that tickets are available; "Select an area"  then shows as "sold out" against the two options of Clore and Wheelchair spaces,  but you can click on "best seats available"  and let them choose. That must be a problem for wheelchair users, unless it can be sorted over the 'phone.

 

I don't know if this is all to do with the refurbishment  and the new seating in  the Clore studio;  how did things work for booking seats in the  Clore before, anyone - could you choose a specific seat?  

[SPD444]

1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

Lin this seems to apply to all Insights in the Clore at the moment. The red "Buy" button indicates that tickets are available; "Select an area"  then shows as "sold out" against the two options of Clore and Wheelchair spaces,  but you can click on "best seats available"  and let them choose. That must be a problem for wheelchair users, unless it can be sorted over the 'phone.

 

I don't know if this is all to do with the refurbishment  and the new seating in  the Clore studio;  how did things work for booking seats in the  Clore before, anyone - could you choose a specific seat?  

 

Yes, you could. Similar to the auditorium.

 

The site is in a pickle just now. Look at “Two Pigeons” using the What’s On link and It shows the performances with Asphodel Meadows but there is no mention of it being danced with the RBS performance, you have to go to the Winter Season to find it and where is the casting? That’s somewhere else, complete mess.

 

To find casting select winter 2018/19 - then calendar of events and you get both opera and ballet with casting.

Edited July 28, 2018 by SPD444

[Shade]

Some returns for Baydere have gone up on the website if anyone is still looking for Nunez/Osipova and vice versa.

[LinMM]

Well my Insight ticket for the Unknown Soldier arrived today so guess it must be a bona fide ticket after all!! 

Also now have THAT Nov 5th Bayadere ticket in my hand ...well within touching distance ....so relief all round.

 

Have also now booked the actual new Ballet Unkown Soldier ( with Symphony in C and Infra programme) 

couldnt get an Amphi seat where I normally like sitting but have a reasonable one in frontish Balcony ....as its my birthday week that week!! 

[Richard LH]

Sounds good Lim!

[Richard LH]

Sorry  Lin  for my typo...I'm too late to edit my last post.

[LinMM]

No worries! I had a message recently which said there would be "bits from Dewan Lake to Lear" 

[alison]

Incidentally, I opened my autumn tickets yesterday.  Apart from being shocked at some of the side amphi prices (I must have been going by colour, and not actually looked at the prices ), I noticed that the layout is a real mess:

 

Main Stage

LEVEL 5                                  Amphitheatre

DOOR|ROW/BOX                   SEAT

5C | H                                      43

 

Pity the poor ushers who have to work that out!