The Royal Ballet: La Bayadère, London, November 2018

[Jan McNulty]

Except for special occasions I don’t like applause when the leads appear for the first time.

 

19 hours ago, graemew said:

On Saturday evening we were leaving the Ampitheatre at just after 9.50 and after using facilities and getting coats we were at Charing Cross by 10.15

If you need to leave during the curtain calls then try to get a seat at the end of a row although with the increasing (and annoying) habit of everyone at the front of the ampitheatre standing up to applaud, it probably doesn't matter anyway!

 

If the running time is TBA or incorrect at the time booking opens how do we know when to book a (like gold dust) aisle seat.  Or indeed, if the performance overruns for any reason?

[Tony Newcombe]

23 minutes ago, capybara said:

 

Nor at the matinee on Saturday - I think for the reasons I mentioned above.

 

Do you mean that we did not applaud at the entrances because we knew we would have  the same opinion as you before we had actually seen the performance

[Xandra Newman]

37 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

No applause at all for the entrance of all 3 principals on Saturday evening. 

 

It didn't feel to me as if the Saturday evening audience was a particular fan audience, more of a Saturday-night-out-at-the Opera House type of audience whereas the Opening Night audience will likely have been the Muntagirov/Osipova/Nunez fans. 

[capybara]

38 minutes ago, Tony Newcombe said:

Do you mean that we did not applaud at the entrances because we knew we would have  the same opinion as you before we had actually seen the performance

 

No, of course not, Tony.

I posted something to the effect that the entrances of all three Principals were somewhat disguised - by a turban or by veils - and those were the reasons I was referring to.

[JennyTaylor]

44 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said:

 

It didn't feel to me as if the Saturday evening audience was a particular fan audience, more of a Saturday-night-out-at-the Opera House type of audience whereas the Opening Night audience will likely have been the Muntagirov/Osipova/Nunez fans. 

I agree, but I'm sure some must have booked specifically for Steven McRae, but perhaps they were confused by his moustache and beard. 

[jmhopton]

'Solor's entrance in this version is insufficiently distinctive (a vertical leap from the wings) and his turban disguise creates uncertainty'.

 

Yes, Solor's entrance is one of the very many aspects of this Bayadere production I dislike.  I always think back to seeing Ivan Vasiliev split the stage with a series of the most amazing jetes. it was an incredible entrance and worthy of a great warrior.

 

Re entrance applause, I will repeat what I posted a while ago that Yasmine Naghdi said she was so relieved when she was applauded on for her debute Giselle (I think it was) as she dreaded coming on to a silent stage. I suppose applause (especially for relatively new principals) is a sign that they have 'arrived'. That people have come to see them personally and not just the ballet.

[Clara_f]

Can't wait to hear about 1. Impressions on Corrales, and 2. The swap between Osipova as nikiya and nunez as gamzatti! 

 

Await comments with baited breath! 

[graemew]

It not the sort of ballet where the "stars" make a BIG entrance, which typically would be from the back of the stage with accompanying "I'm here" gestures and onto a split stage!

My near neighbours on Saturday were not frequent ballet goers and probably didn't recognise the characters, let alone the dancers. 

When we went to the opening night of the new Swan Lake, the gentleman on one side didn't know it was First Night and the lady on the other was not aware it was a new production. I didn't like to point out that the Black and White swans were indeed the same dancer! 

[Vanartus]

24 minutes ago, Clara_f said:

Can't wait to hear about 1. Impressions on Corrales, and 2. The swap between Osipova as nikiya and nunez as gamzatti! 

 

Await comments with baited breath! 

Corrales yes!!! Yes indeed!!!

[annamk]

So far I only saw the Nunez Nikiya cast at the rehearsal but on the basis of that I prefer the roles as danced this evening. It may be that's because the balance between the two ladies felt better to me rather than saying that one or the other danced better although I have to add that I found Nunez faultless this evening. 

 

As for Corrales, his performance would be commendable under any circumstances but considering he is only 22, he was making his RoH debut in a principal role, he was (I believe) making his debut as Solor and he was partnering two of the most senior ballerinas in the company, it was astonishingly good. He is clearly an assured young man and he obviously has a huge bag of tricks which for the most part this evening he quite sensibly held in check focusing his energies on partnering his ballerinas which he did with skill, care and respect. That's not meant to imply that his solo dancing was less than excellent. I personally think he's a great addition to the RoH male line up. 

 

[bridiem]

Another tremendous performance, with the highlight for me being the blazing Nikiya of Natalia Osipova. Fascinating to see the Nunez/Osipova role reversal - both ballerinas showing their great versatility and dramatic intelligence. Osipova made me care about Nikiya as much as I do about Giselle, and danced with impossible intensity, lightness, height and speed. She positively flew through the air as her heart shattered. Nunez was a beautiful, dangerously and deceivingly gracious Gamzatti. Beneath the smile - a snake. Corrales was technically superb, at least in his solo work, but although he used his body expressively I got no sense of characterisation or real emotional involvement. And I thought his partnering looked anxious and sometimes laboured. But he did dance beautifully (and I loved his entrance!) and I hope the other aspects will come as he relaxes into the company.

 

The corps were magnificent again - as near perfect as it's possible to be. And the destruction of the temple was more successful (so to speak!) tonight, with rubble and dust pouring down in divine vengeance. The finale was so moving, with Osipova tip-toeing through the celestial clouds, gently leading her beloved Solor to their eternal life together.

[BeauxArts]

Corrales made a very strong debut as Solor. I thought he  handled  the task with aplomb and intelligence: he paced himself  well as  there is a lot of partnering to get through. He is a fine  partener for such a young dancer - no problèm with the supported pirouettes or lifts: he was attentive to both leading ladies. Technically he is of course very strong - spectacular pirouettes  in particular. But his virtuosity was at the service of the role rarher  than vice  versa.  My personal reservation is that I am not keen on his line,  but  there is no doubt that Mr Corrales is a real star in the making. The corps were excellent in the Shades Act. 

[JennyTaylor]

I really enjoyed this evening's performance. If it didn't quite hit the heights of last Thursday for me (v difficult), I was thrilled with Act 1 and then the Kingdom of the Shades was just sublime. I was very impressed with Corrales - he's definitely one to watch and his act 2 solo was greeted with well deserved roars of applause. Interesting to see that all 3 Solor's I have seen do slightly different variations of this solo. Both ballerinas played their parts to the full and it was just fascinating to watch. The Corps were superb once more.  Also loved Gary Avis as the Rajah and it was good to see Bennet Gartside back on stage too.

 

BTW - all 3 principals were applauded when they went on stage.

 

Some odd comments on the Twitter feed this evening - made me wonder if I was watching the same performance.  

[Vanartus]

A few thoughts re Berlin and London. I’m going to follow a new rule: “never compare, never compete”. The two productions are so different. They really only share part of Act 1, and The Shades. The rest is so divergent that comparisons don’t really help. Both productions are valid, and both are stunning. However, I did prefer the Ratmansky production as a whole. I found it fresher, more interesting, more involving, and actually more enjoyable. As for the Shades - well the Makarova production has the edge. The Royal has a 30 year old production that has stood the test of time, and is a strong production based on the heritage of the Nureyev type of male dancer at its core, with equally strong production values. Berlin has in comparison  a smaller scale production but which is paradoxically far bigger in terms of historical detail. It made certain aspects of Makarova’s production (the massed ranks of dancers in pink in Act 2) look superficial in comparison to the variety of dances in the Ratmansky production. But with both Osipova and Nuñez being on top form, and a stunning and measured debut by Corrales, it was a wonderful night. I loved both productions!

[Scheherezade]

As with the opening night (and, I imagine, the other performances), the corps and the three solo shades were all wonderful. I also felt that the two leading ladies were better balanced tonight. We know from her Giselle that Osipova can be heartbreaking and she filled that brief tonight. Nunez brought lyricism to her Gamzatti - a more measured desperation than the calculation of Osipova's more obviously bitchy Gamzatti. Both were terrific. And Corrales ... What a debut! Ardour, bravado, great partnering skills delivered with attentiveness, care and maturity. I felt that he and Osipova really worked well as a partnership which bodes well for their Don Q performances. Loved it!

[Blossom]

I was also worried that Corrales would look like a mere boy on the stage alongside the current superstars of the Royal Ballet but he was phenomenal and very much up to the task. It must take a lot of confidence to get on stage with Nunez and Osipova and dance the male lead, but there were definitely lots of Corrales fans in the audience - and perhaps many who were new to Corrales but simply wowed by his performance. His jumps and turns were explosive, he is a unique addition to the Royal Ballet and i feel guiltily greedy that London now has him completely to ourselves!!! I do agree however on the emotional front, particularly in the ealier scenes of the ballet, that Corrales still has some room to mature his performance.

 

Osipova was spectacular, her whole body mourning as she danced at the engagement party (??) of Gamzatti and Solor. What always impresses me is the power of her jump and also her speed- her turns at the end of the shades scene were very nippy indeed.

 

Nunez is well practiced in the role of Gamzatti and delivered an excellent and consistent performance. Her virtuosity piece was wonderful to watch. I actually think that engagement party scene is my favourite for many reasons.

 

Yuhui Choe (hope my spelling is correct) was highly dependable and lovely as the first of the solo shades - I adore her in the classical roles. 

Stix Brunell was supposed to be one of the lead shades but noticed she didn’t make an appearance. There were quite a few changes actually to the soloist roles this evening but I didn’t get a change sheet till after the performance. Elizabeth Harrod was one of the fill ins and really enjoyed her performance.

 

Not sure how my next visit will stack up next to this despite the fact that I will have a superior view! A truly wonderful lead cast although am looking forward to Matthew Ball as Solor in just under a fortnight.

[Scheherezade]

Can anyone confirm what the changes were?

[RobR]

Julia Roscoe replaced Stix-Brunell

[bridiem]

The full changes:

 

Mayara Magri replaced Fumi Kaneko as a D'Jampee Dancer

Fumi Kaneko and Julia Roscoe replaced Itziar Mendizabal and Beatriz Stix-Brunell in the Pas D'Action

Elizabeth Harrod replaced Beatriz Stix-Brunell as the third Shade

 

The only reason I knew there were changes was because I heard a programme seller say this to someone buying a programme. So I asked for a slip. When I suggested she put them on the counter top so people knew they were there, she said that the ROH is moving towards using less paper and that there was a sign about the changes at the front of the desk. There was - a very small sign that you would only see if you bought a programme that side of the desk. I said that if they don't want to use paper they need to have BIG signs everywhere, otherwise it's very disrespectful to all the dancers involved. She said she would pass that on.

[Geoff]

7 hours ago, Blossom said:

there were definitely lots of Corrales fans in the audience

 

And not only ordinary fans. By chance my seat was next to a member of the current ENB company. He estimated at least twenty of the company had come to see their former colleague! 

 

[zxDaveM]

but if they have already printed them, but are not giving them out, how is that saving paper? Or are they printing so few, that THAT is the paper saving. If they keep them in a drawer, that really IS wasting paper...

[bridiem]

23 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

but if they have already printed them, but are not giving them out, how is that saving paper? Or are they printing so few, that THAT is the paper saving. If they keep them in a drawer, that really IS wasting paper...

 

I assume they're printing fewer. I'm not sure I understand the logic, though - how do they decide who should be given one?!

[Lizbie1]

Well the ones I saw were all tucked into programmes, with none left out for the free cast sheets. Cast change slip apartheid!  

[zxDaveM]

5 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

Well the ones I saw were all tucked into programmes, with none left out for the free cast sheets. Cast change slip apartheid!  

 

The logic of that is bonkers! The regulars that would glean meaningful info from a cast change slip either have already got a programme (first night excepted), or been priced out of buying one. The treasured 'one-off punter' buying said programme (as souvenir, to find out what's what?), may not know any of the dancers, originals or the replacements, so the slip is pretty meaningless

[Mary]

I had to ask for a cast sheet in Mayerling the night Bratfisch changed- and as the usher fished under her desk for one she said 'It's not an important one'.  I demurred, and explained why it was important, and said it mattered to have the full cast recorded in writing.

It makes me wonder- if Osipova had been replaced would they have had plenty of sheets available? Is there some judgement going on about what 'matters'? Certainly the 3 Shades are significant roles.

This is worrying- I am all for saving paper but I have no doubt they waste plenty of it on much less important things than notifiying the audience of the cast.

[Sim]

I will say it again....why can’t they just make an announcement when everyone is in their seat?  If they aren’t going to print enough slips to go around, nor put any signs where people can see them, surely it’s a logical solution?   

[Josephine]

17 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

I assume they're printing fewer. I'm not sure I understand the logic, though - how do they decide who should be given one?!

Maybe only if you ask for one?? At the programme desk to the left of main entrance to Orchestra Stalls there was a small pile of cast change slips, partly concealed on the staff side of the desk. I was given one when I asked.

[Sim]

But if they are pretty much hidden, how do we know to ask for one?  Or do we now have to ask programme sellers at every performance “so....any changes this evening/afternoon ?”

[bridiem]

2 minutes ago, Josephine said:

Maybe only if you ask for one?? At the programme desk to the left of main entrance to Orchestra Stalls there was a small pile of cast change slips, partly concealed on the staff side of the desk. I was given one when I asked.

 

Yes, so did I; but if you don't know they're there, you wouldn't know to ask for one.

[Josephine]

2 minutes ago, Sim said:

I will say it again....why can’t they just make an announcement when everyone is in their seat?  If they aren’t going to print enough slips to go around, nor put any signs where people can see them, surely it’s a logical solution?   

Also it would help if they could publish late cast changes on social media, and this would support the paper saving objective.

[Fonty]

11 minutes ago, Sim said:

I will say it again....why can’t they just make an announcement when everyone is in their seat?  If they aren’t going to print enough slips to go around, nor put any signs where people can see them, surely it’s a logical solution?   

 

Or even periodically make an announcement in the communal areas over a speaker system.  I am sure nobody would be put off their conversation over the food and drink if there is a polite, "Good evening, there are cast changes for this evenings performance as follows...."

[Esmeralda]

Absolutely agree with all of you! There are so many ways to announce cast changes without wasting paper - especially if they hide the casting slips or put them in programmes, which aren´t bought by everyone. There could even be a mix of them - announcing changes on Social Media and an anouncement over the speaker system. Or really big screens at strategic points. I seriously hope there will be a change in the future because it is not fair to the dancers AND to the audience (at least to them who care about who is dancing).

 

May I ask who danced the Bronze Idol last night? I assume it wasn´t Campbell because not only the leading ladies switched their roles but also with Corrales a different Solor, so probably a different Idol too?

[Vanartus]

Calvin Richardson