Rob S Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I can only imagine 3rd April will be even worse if they don’t sort it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 8 minutes ago, bridiem said: But that will always happen when booking opens; the system needs to be able to cope with it (and generally has in the past). The last-but-one version of the ROH booking website had persistent similar issues, but the last version was generally very good. We seem to have gone back in time five or six years with this latest version. Currently having the exact same problem with my gym - Everyone Active, who run various council leisure centres including 3 in the London Borough of Southwark which I use on a regular basis, open their bookings online at 10pm each night for all classes on the next day of the following week. And it currently always crashes for ages - so I can be in the ludicrous situation of needing to go to bed because I have a 7am class booked for the following morning, but being kept up by trying to book the same class for the next week! Some classes genuinely are in high enough demand that if you waited until the morning you'd miss out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) Why can't ROH just put the whole year on sale like a lot of German theatres and Het National in Amsterdam do so much less stressful. Edited January 30, 2019 by Don Q Fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 37 minutes ago, bridiem said: But that will always happen when booking opens; the system needs to be able to cope with it (and generally has in the past). Exactly. No point in having a system that can't cope with an onslaught of people all at once. Hello.....that's what happens when booking opens!!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, Don Q Fan said: Why can't ROH just put the whole year on sale like a lot of German theatres and Het National in Amsterdam do so much less stressful. I for one, could not afford a season's worth of tickets in one hit 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Don Q Fan said: Why can't ROH just put the whole year on sale like a lot of German theatres and Het National in Amsterdam do so much less stressful. Because everything would be nearly sold out a year in advance and that brings another kind of stress. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 There is, I think, another factor in play this time. Certain events, such as the RB Classes and Rehearsals in the Floral Hall which are regarded as being part of the 'Open Up' vision, are not available to any level of Friend prior to Public Booking. So a whole load more people may have been wanting to book online today. Me included! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 41 minutes ago, bridiem said: But that will always happen when booking opens; the system needs to be able to cope with it (and generally has in the past). Completely agree, and it’s no excuse, but I wonder whether the Netrebko/Kaufmann La Forza del Destino has something to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Just now, Lizbie1 said: Completely agree, and it’s no excuse, but I wonder whether the Netrebko/Kaufmann La Forza del Destino has something to do with it. So why can't the ROH stagger the public booking for ballet and opera like they used to do? I too struggled to get online just after 9am. it took at least 15 minutes before I could even get as far as the queue and then the queue was paused. However, when it did start moving I was through in a couple of minutes and it was relatively stress free though I don't think 30 minutes is very long when you're trying to weigh up seat options for several seats. Also I'm sure one of the seats I purchased was priced in the next price band as on other days it was cheaper. I have emailed the box office so I'll have to see what they say. I'm tempted to book for a couple of the rehearsals in the Paul Hamlyn hall but don't know whether to go for stage or balcony. can anyone advise, please? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 2 hours ago, Bruce Wall said: One of the worst booking experiences I have known. It should have been listed as an NHS Stress Test. (That said I got what I wanted ballet-wise - but like Downstar struggled with opera Only one Forza ... Sorry, ROH, I refuse to pay £24 for a dreadful slips place after which you have to fork out for a chiropractor.) I didn't even bother looking at Forza, as I assumed it'd be sold out of anything in my price range instantaneously. However I was very surprised at the lack of availability for Billy Budd & Berenice, given neither has the sort of big stars that usually cause a sell-out in their casts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Billy Budd only has four performances, which probably doesn't help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: I didn't even bother looking at Forza, as I assumed it'd be sold out of anything in my price range instantaneously. However I was very surprised at the lack of availability for Billy Budd & Berenice, given neither has the sort of big stars that usually cause a sell-out in their casts. I wasn’t surprised about either: Berenice because of the limited space in the Linbury combined with its rarity and Handel’s popularity; Billy Budd because it’s such a short run and (my pet theory) people buying subscriptions to secure Forza tickets will have been squeezed into those few dates. On the latter: I keep seeing the assumption made (including by Kasper Holten, presumably to justify his complete neglect of the composer) that Britten doesn’t sell well. Is there any real basis for this regarding the “major” operas or is it just lazy thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: I wasn’t surprised about either: Berenice because of the limited space in the Linbury combined with its rarity and Handel’s popularity; Billy Budd because it’s such a short run and (my pet theory) people buying subscriptions to secure Forza tickets will have been squeezed into those few dates. I think I'm surprised about Berenice because it's a London Handel Festival co-production & I've been going to a number of their operas at other venues (mostly St George's Hannover Square) for the last few years & have never had a problem getting tickets & most of those are one-off performances, not a run. Ah, I didn't think about subscriptions. However aren't subscriptions only for the higher priced stalls/stalls circle/amphi tickets? I was after the cheaper restricted view side stalls circle, which I didn't think were possible to get on subscription. ETA: I don't recall having difficulties in getting a ticket for the Glyndeboune Billy Budd Proms performance a few years ago & that was just one perofrmance, though obviously in a larger venue. Edited January 30, 2019 by Dawnstar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 In case this hasn't been mentioned elsewhere, another 'new entry' is the film (with Q&A) about Carlos Acosta on 3rd April in The Linbury: https://www.roh.org.uk/events/nd396 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 4 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: However aren't subscriptions only for the higher priced stalls/stalls circle/amphi tickets? I was after the cheaper restricted view side stalls circle, which I didn't think were possible to get on subscription. I think Friends etc get “displaced” from the seats they would normally buy and opt to go down a rung, which has a knock on effect on etc etc. I noticed a similar thing with Mitridate, re di Ponto a couple of seasons back when it had a limited run and was in the same subscription package as Otello (again with Kaufmann). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 12 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: I think I'm surprised about Berenice because it's a London Handel Festival co-production & I've been going to a number of their operas at other venues (mostly St George's Hannover Square) for the last few years & have never had a problem getting tickets & most of those are one-off performances, not a run. Were those fully staged? I’m a bit fussy in that I like my opera staged or not at all: I imagine others feel the same. (The same applies to the Prom you mentioned.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: I think Friends etc get “displaced” from the seats they would normally buy and opt to go down a rung, which has a knock on effect on etc etc. I noticed a similar thing with Mitridate, re di Ponto a couple of seasons back when it had a limited run and was in the same subscription package as Otello (again with Kaufmann). Ah, right. I don't really know how all the different levels of Friends, Supporters, etc. sort themselves out as I've never been able to justify spending even the money required for the basic level of Friends - I'd rather keep it to spend on actual tickets. Yes, come to think of it I recall not being able to get a seat for Mitridate either. Edited January 30, 2019 by Dawnstar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Just now, Lizbie1 said: Were those fully staged? I’m a bit fussy in that I like my opera staged or not at all: I imagine others feel the same. (The same applies to the Prom you mentioned.) I've seen two fully staged (both at the RAM's theatre if I recall correctly). The ones at St George's are done in concert. The Prom was billed as semi-staged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Don Q Fan said: Why can't ROH just put the whole year on sale like a lot of German theatres and Het National in Amsterdam do so much less stressful. But how on earth do you think the system would cope with that, if it can't cope with 1/4 of the season in one go? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 Re opera, I'm afraid I've just given up this year. It's nightmare enough trying to keep track of all the ballet stuff and casting, and last year's Lohengrin etc. prices were so bad that I realise I'm going to struggle even to be able to afford to stand. I'm not ploughing round their website trying to find out what operas are on, who's singing and when (didn't even know Placido Domingo was in La Traviata until someone mentioned it to me the other day!), and in the absence of anything printed - well, I just can't be bothered. As for Romeo & Frankenstein, well, it was highly instructive this morning to see just how much resistance there's been among the subscribers to the grossly inflated prices: I've never seen so many side amphi tickets still available for public booking, so obviously people have indeed been going "You must be joking if you think I'm paying that much for that view!" Unfortunately, though, this is just proving that the ROH's dastardly plan is working The tickets have largely gone now, I think, so I guess it's to members of the public who won't know any better - and as I've said before, once they realise how poor the view is from those seats, they'll probably assume they can't afford anything better, and most likely won't return. I haven't even looked at the mixed bill. Really can't be bothered. I assume there'll be some tickets left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Well I've just purchased the one ticket I wanted ....only just under the top price I will pay but in the lower part of the Amphi. It was more than I really wanted to pay and in the past would have paid at least £10 less for the seat. It's also a huge risk as the performance is Hayward and Corrales and there is no info on whether Corrales is back yet or will be by May!! Still, haven't seen Hayward in the role so will still be special on one level. My experience was very good but then I always leave it a few hours from official opening. I could not see "sold out" by any of the R and J performances and usually by the time I'm booking at least a few performances show this for a main ballet so I do think the higher prices are putting people off. one thing do you have to be a Friend on some level to be able to book the Insights now public booking has opened ....or are they always Friends only events.....I can't remember! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 5 minutes ago, LinMM said: one thing do you have to be a Friend on some level to be able to book the Insights now public booking has opened ....or are they always Friends only events.....I can't remember! Insights are public events. Due to limited seating capacity they are hard to get tickets for at almost any level of membership as well as for general public; as a Supporting Friend I almost always find them sold out on booking day and then hunt down returns later. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Thank you RuthE Two of the insights I was interested in are sold out but there is one where tickets are available but I got a message saying if I was a friend to sign out and in again so thought perhaps general public couldn't book them! Will see if still available now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 It's possible that there are Friends-only events, in the same way that dress rehearsal access is Friends-only, but I would be surprised to see one billed under the "Insights" brand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 51 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: The Prom was billed as semi-staged. And so it was. And it was one of the most glorious experiences of my life. There was about 2 minutes of absolute silence at the end after Vere walked off the stage. Magnificent. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Have just purchased one of the ones I wanted!! Will keep a look out for returns for the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 33 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said: And so it was. And it was one of the most glorious experiences of my life. There was about 2 minutes of absolute silence at the end after Vere walked off the stage. Magnificent. I confess that the ending was slightly spoiled for me by the failure to draw the curtain over the Hall door properly after Imbrailo exited to be hanged, meaning that from where I was sitting I could see him just standing there very much un-hanged! Not exactly as effective as when I saw it at ENO in 2005 where the hanging was indicated very simply but effectively by lighting & reduced me to tears. However apart from that I agree that it was an excellent performance. I find semi-stagings can often be just as satisfying as full stagings, especially as they seem to be less likely to suffer from extreme "directoritis"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 51 minutes ago, alison said: it was highly instructive this morning to see just how much resistance there's been among the subscribers to the grossly inflated prices...........The tickets have largely gone now, I think, so I guess it's to members of the public who won't know any better - and as I've said before, once they realise how poor the view is from those seats, they'll probably assume they can't afford anything better, and most likely won't return. I wonder if that is right Alison....would there be that many members of the public who are not previously familiar with those seats, do not check the view from the seat on the website prior to booking, yet are sufficiently familiar with the ROH to snap up the seats on the first morning of general booking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, alison said: As for Romeo & Frankenstein That makes it look like a single ballet, which would certainly be an interesting piece! In terms of booking for ballet and opera, I spent 14 years, up until this year, only booking for opera, feeling that by the time I'd bought the opera tickets I wanted I couldn't afford to explore ballet too. Having seen a couple of cinecasts & a few Insight event livestreams over the last year or so I became more interested in seeing ballet. In the autumn booking period there was only 1 opera I wanted & in the winter booking period none so I finally felt I could afford to give the Royal Ballet a go. I've seriously fallen for it. Therefore today's booking is the most I've ever spent in one ROH booking period & that's without being able to get all the operas I wanted. I fear that ballet - where more than opera a fairly unrestricted view seems to be required - is proving a very expensive addition to my theatregoing roster (already involving opera, musicals, plays & improv). ETA: I suppose it shows that the cinecasts & livestreams have been successful in getting at least 1 person to start going to live ballet (again - I did see some as a child & when at uni), but I suspect I don't count in their new audience figures given my years of opera attendance. Edited January 30, 2019 by Dawnstar 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Hahaha Dawnstar, my experience of getting "into" ballet was very similar! For well over 10 years I received all the Royal Ballet details along with the Royal Opera ones but would simply never bother reading those pages of the magazine... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Did you then kick yourself for the years of ignoring it? I'm currently at that stage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 25 minutes ago, Richard LH said: I wonder if that is right Alison....would there be that many members of the public who are not previously familiar with those seats, do not check the view from the seat on the website prior to booking, yet are sufficiently familiar with the ROH to snap up the seats on the first morning of general booking? I think we're (the reasonably-regulars) all aware, Richard, of the difference between what the view from those seats in the photos and the view in reality, when you have people sitting in those nicely empty seats. They can look perfectly reasonable for the money until you actually sit in them and find you have half the stage missing due to people's heads and so on. That's why I keep saying I'm sure the powers that be didn't actually sit in those seats for a performance before hoicking the prices. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 19 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: Did you then kick yourself for the years of ignoring it? I'm currently at that stage. Not really, other than the fact that there are certain dancers I wish I'd seen before they retired. And I still suspect I'm "not a proper ballet fan" because I love my three-act narrative Macmillan dramas and can't bear anything with a plot that you could fit onto the back of a postage stamp but dragged out to 3 hours plus with almost as many divertissements as tutus... When I first started attending ballet I booked a selection of casts for everything, especially the classics, in a deliberate attempt to educate myself about preferred genres and suitability of various dancers to different repertoire. Since becoming a more informed viewer as a result of this, I've gone back to being a lot more selective. But I digress! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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