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What would you cull from the RB repertoire?


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Talk on another thread about the difficulty of managing the RB's repertoire prompts me to wonder what I'd be content to see go - not necessarily because I don't like the piece, but because I don't think there's room for everything and so prioritisation is required. (Equally there are ballets I have no interest in seeing that probably should remain in the repertoire - one ballet I would retain, though I'm not a fan, is Alice, as it's native to the RB and seems to be very popular with children.)

 

My main concern, apart from making the general public happy and keeping standards up, would be to retain the RB's distinctive character. I understand the point about wanting to see certain dancers in certain roles, but I like to think of the other parts there would now be room for them to take on :)

 

For example, off the top of my head I'd be OK with dropping:

 

  • Don Quixote and Bayadere (not really part of the RB "story"" and I think the Russians do them better anyway)
  • Anastasia (but retain the Kschessinska pdd as a party piece)
  • Jewels (this is borderline for me, but I'd sacrifice it to see more of the one-act Balanchines)
  • Onegin (nobody said this was an easy job! I'd want to replace it with some RB/SWRB Cranko including Pineapple Poll and the Lady and the Fool)
  • The Judas Tree
  • Marguerite and Armand

 

NB I'm talking about ballets which have had more than two runs, as I don't think it can be said to be in the repertoire until the third go round.

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I'd add all McGregor - there are other companies in the UK that do contemporary works as well as (if not better) than the RB.  I take the point about Jewels but I'd keep the Rubies section, perhaps as part of a mixed bill with other Balanchine 1-acters.

 

And can we please have a break from Nutcracker for at least one season?  I'd much rather see Ashton's Cinderella brought back though perhaps with a re-design.

 

Linda

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Goodness - head above the parapet on this thread.  Onegin and the 3 Act Anastasia have given me some of the most memorable performances in recent years and I'd be aghast at the prospect of losing them from the repertoire, particularly given the quality of the Royal Ballet.

 

Putting to one side ballets which have not yet been revived, in looking back over the last few years I think I've only found three ballets which I'd choose not to see again - Untouchables, Strapless and Carbon Life.  I'm not sure if Isadora is already culled as it's many years since I saw it but if it were revived I doubt very much if I'd be going to it.

 

But there's a serious point to keeping the repertoire fresh, which is doing justice to the Royal Ballet's history and traditions and commissioning new work, whilst meeting financial targets.  I think the Royal Ballet has the balance about right although I do wonder if there are too many Nutcrackers.  I'd contrast the Royal Ballet with the Opera where I think there has been a tendency to put on far too many Toscas, Bohemes, Traviatas, Turandots etc with multiple casts jetting in and out and some pretty variable performances.

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I think what is needed ( if money were no object!) Is something like the reserve collected in a museum. Personally, I'd ditch the de Valois ballets, much of McGregor, Strapless, Sweet Violets, The Wind,  the most recent Twyla Tharp for starters, although obviously records should be available for anyone interested in seeing them. 

And as to dumping Onegin -never never never! When I look at the list of ballets I've seen there are many that have vanished peacefully and thankfully, but it's very much a case of one man's meat.

Edited by ninamargaret
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I'm glad someone else said - All McGregor - before I did... and I really have tried, but to no avail. This is the no 1 reason why I don't attend many Triple Bills, which means I miss out on some other gems, but I really can't bear it.

 

I agree about too many Nutcrackers, though I love it, but it goes on for too long.  I think Cinderella needs a complete rewrite whilst retaining the Ashton gems within it: ie. the Cinderella / Prince, it's the Ugly Sisters who are the problem - men in drag these days, probably not so funny any more - discuss.  Perhaps Liam Scarlett's next project??  The music is lovely and there are some really magical bits. 

 

If the premise is to retain the RB's heritage, then we could also add some lost MacMillan / Ashton but I don't think that's the question.

 

I'd be gutted it they dropped Onegin and I think you could argue a MacMillan/ Cranko  link there to retain it, and I also love Bayadere and DonQ sheerly for the dancing alone.   

 

I'm wondering if heritage includes BRB productions. I see little synergy between London and Birmingham and feel that London missed out of some the BRB productions which we just don't see at all.  Isn't this heritage too? 

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16 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

I'm glad someone else said - All McGregor - before I did... and I really have tried, but to no avail. This is the no 1 reason why I don't attend many Triple Bills, which means I miss out on some other gems, but I really can't bear it.

 

I agree about too many Nutcrackers, though I love it, but it goes on for too long.  I think Cinderella needs a complete rewrite whilst retaining the Ashton gems within it: ie. the Cinderella / Prince, it's the Ugly Sisters who are the problem - men in drag these days, probably not so funny any more - discuss.  Perhaps Liam Scarlett's next project??  The music is lovely and there are some really magical bits. 

 

If the premise is to retain the RB's heritage, then we could also add some lost MacMillan / Ashton but I don't think that's the question.

 

I'd be gutted it they dropped Onegin and I think you could argue a MacMillan/ Cranko  link there to retain it, and I also love Bayadere and DonQ sheerly for the dancing alone.   

 

I'm wondering if heritage includes BRB productions. I see little synergy between London and Birmingham and feel that London missed out of some the BRB productions which we just don't see at all.  Isn't this heritage too? 

Cinderella is an interesting topic  

Drag is Drag  it's performance  ... 

 the bad press  that drag has got of  late  is   not per se to do with drag 

 Chase Johnsey;s sagas with the Trocks  is not aobut Drag it;s aobut   the  tTocks clinging to a  view of drag ... 

 the criticism of Drag acts at some ofthe Prides  has been becasue the  act  while  the  'humour' might go down well in a male  gay bar  , doesn;t go down  well with a mixed LGBTQ+   and  allies audience as  you  find   enjoyign the  carnival  atmosphere  that many  prides  have had  of late  ( when  not  being invaded  by  various fringe  factions )


there are various version  around ,  Northern  have a Nixon /Feeney  version in their current Repetoire    which is  getting an airing this  winter , there's also a Gable / Feeney  version (  different  score  )   which  Northern don;t currently perform   and hasn't  from what i can find out been performed in full for quite a while  although Ballet Central  do   use   execerpts ... 

the Nixon  version  plays the  step sisters  straight  with female  dancers  ... 

Ballet Ireland have a Cinderella  with choreography by  Morgann Runacre-Temple  ( interestingly another  Central alumnus)  which appears to  have the step sisters   as drag ...  

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But aren't the Ugly Sisters part of the long tradition of Pantomime Dames?  I always thought that when Ashton's Cinderella was first produced the feeling was more like seeing your school Headmaster and a teacher dressed up for the end of term Christmas show!  If you look at old films the humour has more feeling and there is also definite pathos.  Today's Ugly Sisters too often just go over the top! 

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7 hours ago, JennyTaylor said:

 I think Cinderella needs a complete rewrite whilst retaining the Ashton gems within it: ie. the Cinderella / Prince, it's the Ugly Sisters who are the problem - men in drag these days, probably not so funny any more - discuss.  Perhaps Liam Scarlett's next project??  The music is lovely and there are some really magical bits.

 

I'd be interested to know if you see Ashton's choreography for the Step-sisters as the problem, or just the fact that these roles are usually performed by men? I believe that the Step-sisters were performed by women occasionally in the early days of the production. Should this practice be revived whilst keeping Ashton's choreography intact?

 

In men in drag are seen as the 'problem', then should Ashton's Widow Simone also be rewritten? Or Mrs Tiggy Winkle?!!

 

Aside from Royal Ballet heritage I support the retention of (most of) Ashton's use of roles en travesti as I love the sense of it being a living link with British theatre/music hall performance history.

 

I do hope that the Royal Ballet will revive Cinderella very soon. Likewise Onegin. I'm horrified by the idea of losing this from RB's repertoire!!

Edited by Josephine
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7 minutes ago, Josephine said:

I do hope that the Royal Ballet will revive Cinderella very soon.

There is also the Wheeldon version as an option. I recently watched the recording of The Dutch National Ballet  producion  with Anna Tsygankova/Matthew Golding  - I liked her, not so much  him. Some very beautiful and inventive parts, but I thought  some other parts (some of the "humourous" pieces) don't work so well and could be cut. I think the main issue I have with various  Cinderellas is the discordant Prokofiev score. Recalling Matthew Bourme's version doesn't help either. 

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1 hour ago, Josephine said:

 

I'd be interested to know if you see Ashton's choreography for the Step-sisters as the problem, or just the fact that these roles are usually performed by men? I believe that the Step-sisters were performed by women occasionally in the early days of the production. Should this practice be revived whilst keeping Ashton's choreography intact?

 

In men in drag are seen as the 'problem', then should Ashton's Widow Simone also be rewritten? Or Mrs Tiggy Winkle?!!

 

Aside from Royal Ballet heritage I support the retention of (most of) Ashton's use of roles en travesti as I love the sense of it being a living link with British theatre/music hall performance history.

 

I do hope that the Royal Ballet will revive Cinderella very soon. Likewise Onegin. I'm horrified by the idea of losing this from RB's repertoire!!

 

You've beautifully articulated what I was going to try and say Jo.  Thank you!

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1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

There is also the Wheeldon version as an option. I recently watched the recording of The Dutch National Ballet  producion  with Anna Tsygankova/Matthew Golding  - I liked her, not so much  him. Some very beautiful and inventive parts, but I thought  some other parts (some of the "humourous" pieces) don't work so well and could be cut. I think the main issue I have with various  Cinderellas is the discordant Prokofiev score. Recalling Matthew Bourme's version doesn't help either. 

 

Except ENB are about to about to stage a version of the Wheeldon, I think.

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I love Cinderella the Ballet and the score. I never particularly liked the David Walker sets, and the latest version is no improvement. And I never ever found the Ugly Sisters shtick that amusing. But the rest of the Ashton is sublime...but balletic comedy is deadly. I’m looking forward to seeing the Nureyev with POB, and the Wheeldon with DNB. 

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2 hours ago, Vanartus said:

But the rest of the Ashton is sublime...but balletic comedy is deadly.

 

Interesting thought: do the RB actually need to start doing more comedy before Cinderella is brought back into the rep, to get their hand back in, so to speak?

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26 minutes ago, Vanartus said:

The Concert is funny - but ...funnily enough....I don’t find it as funny as I used to. Funny that...

 

In my experience, most things get less funny once none of the jokes are surprises any more!

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'I'd be gutted if they dropped Onegin and I think you could argue a MacMillan/ Cranko  link there to retain it'  (Jenny)

 

I'd be gutted too, and the RB do it so well!

 

I'd be happy to drop most of McGregor, too.

Edited by J_New
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16 minutes ago, RuthE said:

 

In my experience, most things get less funny once none of the jokes are surprises any more!

 

Even if familiar there is the element of timing and the infectiousness of the audience - which was certainly very much in evidence last time I saw The Concert.

Some jokes I've heard many times I still find very funny.  It's always good to have a favourite joke to hand, in part because this can really catch people out in interviews - I can't imagine some politicians being able to offer their joke if asked, after all some desperately struggle simply to say how they relax.  My favourite joke - 'What's the fastest cake in the world?  Scone.'

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Anything choreographed by Alastair Marriott

Acosta's Don Q, Carmen

MacMillan's The Judas Tree, Anastasia

Scarlett's Frankenstein, Hansel & Gretel, Sweet Violets, Age of Anxiety

Pita's The Wind 

Dawson's Human Seasons

McGregor's Multiverse

Wheeldon's Strapless, Raven Girl

 

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Re Cinderella. I saw the version with the Ugly Sisters danced by women in 1958. If memory serves me right it worked well although I think it was performed by two dancers who had also had experience of working in musical theatre rather than members of the Royal Ballet. But generally, I would hate to lose roles like Simone - the  panto dame is a very old tradition and shouldn't be lost because of political correctness.

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It's not so much about political correctness but appropriate kindness. Widow Simone works because she's ultimately a good egg. Problem with the sisters is a) the term "ugly" and b) the fact the fact that the period costumes plus the choreography aren't the strongest mix in the Ashton ballet. Ultimately they're lonely and unhappy and spoilt and etc etc but there is redemption at the end. But it's hard to make it work. 

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52 minutes ago, annamk said:

Wheeldon's Strapless, Raven Girl

 

I don't think it will make a difference to your 'cull' annamk  know but Raven Girl is a McGregor ballet (which I really enjoyed last time).

 

More generally I do think it's vital that the Royal Ballet nurtures new ballets as it has done through much of its history and is not a museum.  MacMillan is now very much part of its heritage.  I'm not sure what McGregor/Scarlett will be performed in 20 years or so but I'd have thought that some would become an important part of the developing heritage - Wolf Works, Obsidian Tear?  I for one will be very interested to see the revived Frankenstein and what changes Scarlett might make as I was taken with much of it.

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Oh - and I am now in  "hands off

my Wayne" mode. Woolf Works a masterpiece! Chroma, Infra, the new Bernstein, Obsidian, Livefire...and the pdd from Raven Girl : ALL WONDERFUL!!! 

Edited by Vanartus
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29 minutes ago, Vanartus said:

Oh - and I am now in  "hands off

my Wayne" mode. Woolf Works a masterpiece! Chroma, Infra, the new Bernstein, Obsidian, Livefire...and the pdd from Raven Girl : ALL WONDERFUL!!! 

Tend to agree,with you about those you have mentioned but would happily ditch Multiverse,Tetractys and probably,others. I don't think there is a choreographer whose entire output should be kept; having said that, I wonder how many ballet goers can claim to have seen every ballet by a specific choreographer?

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1 hour ago, annamk said:

Anything choreographed by Alastair Marriott

Acosta's Don Q, Carmen

MacMillan's The Judas Tree, Anastasia

Scarlett's Frankenstein, Hansel & Gretel, Sweet Violets, Age of Anxiety

Pita's The Wind 

Dawson's Human Seasons

McGregor's Multiverse

Wheeldon's Strapless, Raven Girl

 

 

Raven Girl was McGregor, but otherwise agree with most of this list - though I don't mind Alastair's work (I really liked the last one he did), and did quite like Human Seasons. Don Q was quite fun - but if I never saw it again I wouldn't cry over it; same for Frankenstein

I'd stick up for a lot of McGregor's work - notably Infra, Woolf Works and Chroma - but Multiverse was shockingly horrid

I'd happily cull a good many of MacMillan's one act pieces (especially Judas Tree) such as Las Harmanas, The Invitation and the like. I'm much happier watching the likes of Gloria, Requiem, Song of the Earth, Rite of Spring or Concerto

I hope they never do the clown one with the wailing woman in the pit (name escapes) or most of Glenn Tetley's come to that

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45 minutes ago, Vanartus said:

It's not so much about political correctness but appropriate kindness. Widow Simone works because she's ultimately a good egg. Problem with the sisters is a) the term "ugly" and b) the fact the fact that the period costumes plus the choreography aren't the strongest mix in the Ashton ballet. Ultimately they're lonely and unhappy and spoilt and etc etc but there is redemption at the end. But it's hard to make it work. 

 

I think they'd work better as women with less ghastly costumes and makeup, and with less gallumping choreography

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1 minute ago, zxDaveM said:

 

Raven Girl was McGregor, but otherwise agree with most of this list - though I don't mind Alastair's work (I really liked the last one he did), and did quite like Human Seasons. Don Q was quite fun - but if I never saw it again I wouldn't cry over it; same for Frankenstein

I'd stick up for a lot of McGregor's work - notably Infra, Woolf Works and Chroma - but Multiverse was shockingly horrid

I'd happily cull a good many of MacMillan's one act pieces (especially Judas Tree) such as Las Harmanas, The Invitation and the like. I'm much happier watching the likes of Gloria, Requiem, Song of the Earth, Rite of Spring or Concerto

I hope they never do the clown one with the wailing woman in the pit (name escapes) or most of Glenn Tetley's come to that

Yes silly me I don't why I thought it was Wheeldon duh ! 

I like Don Q but Acosta's version and the RB style don't work for me. 

I agree re other McGregor.

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