Richard LH Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Very helpful Riva, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliceinwoolfland Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 2 hours ago, Richard LH said: Whilst he has danced Albrecht (with Hayward) and Des Grieux (with Takada) it was as a sub. rather than first choice. I would have thought he would also have made a great sub. for McRae as Romeo, particularly with Takada as Juliet as they had a great partnership in Manon as referred to above (as well as more recently in Don Q). But yes, we have been here before. Yes, I'm aware he was a sub for those roles, I just think he deserves to be first choice for once! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 1 hour ago, RuthE said: I assume the harlots are listed in order of orange dress/red dress/yellow dress? With regards to tonight, I’m not sure. I would assume Mendizabal is “lead Harlot” 😳? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 So would I, and I am certain Claire Calvert (like Olivia Cowley) normally plays the red one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riva Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 1 hour ago, RuthE said: I assume the harlots are listed in order of orange dress/red dress/yellow dress? Yes they are, or Romeo/Benvolio/Mercutio to their associated ‘fella’. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Tonight's cast has, I think, Saunders and McGorian as the Capulet parents. By the way, at the General Rehearsal, Lara Turk replaced Claire Calvert as Rosaline and Tara-Brigitte Bhavani replaced her as Lady Montagu. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 53 minutes ago, capybara said: Tara-Brigitte Bhavani replaced her as Lady Montagu. Wow so she is back already from this ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Tara-Brigitte Bhavani's baby girl (Chloe) was born in December 2017... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 1 hour ago, capybara said: Tonight's cast has, I think, Saunders and McGorian as the Capulet parents. Excellent, thank you capybara. ☺️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) 14 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said: Tara-Brigitte Bhavani's baby girl (Chloe) was born in December 2017... Oh thanks, yes, I now see she mentions being a year late in sharing this! What a wonderful way to record Chloe's entry to the world, though. And good to see Tara-Brigitte back. Edited March 26, 2019 by Richard LH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 There are a couple of dozen seats (higher prices) available online for tonight's performance, BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Note for Hirano doubters (self included) - he acted his socks off in the friends rehearsal and his partnering of Takada's utterly convincing young Juliet was beautiful. As expected, Hay's Mercutio was quite brilliant. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavycapers Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) Seen Hirano dance Paris before as he did tonight, and thought once again that if I'd been Juliet, Romeo wouldn't have got a look in..... 😳 Thrilled to see Gary Avis cast as Tybalt, an unexpected treat. Being a slightly older Tybalt worked so well, he genuinely looked exhausted by the time his sword was knocked out of his hand by the much younger Romeo. Edited March 27, 2019 by cavycapers 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 No other comments as yet? I hope some people were there 17 minutes ago, cavycapers said: Seen Hirano dance Paris before as he did tonight, and thought once again that if I'd been Juliet, Romeo wouldn't have got a look in..... 😳 Oh dear. "Martin James syndrome". Possibly "Johannes Stepanek syndrome"? Any other contenders ...? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Nicol Edmonds! 😍😍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 You would ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavycapers Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Never seen Lauren Cuthbertson dance Juliet until tonight. Light as thistledown, the best I've ever seen her, completely convincing as a young girl. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavycapers Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 58 minutes ago, alison said: Oh dear. "Martin James syndrome". Possibly "Johannes Stepanek syndrome"? Any other contenders ...? Oo, don't know what that means! Tell me.... 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Martin James was dancing Paris at a performance by LFB that I saw back in the 80s, when I said words to the effect that I thought Juliet should have gone for him rather than Romeo! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 6 hours ago, cavycapers said: Seen Hirano dance Paris before as he did tonight, and thought once again that if I'd been Juliet, Romeo wouldn't have got a look in..... 😳 5 hours ago, alison said: Oh dear. "Martin James syndrome". Possibly "Johannes Stepanek syndrome"? Any other contenders ...? David Pickering, Jeremy Sheffield ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I am hoping this wretched DVT will have cleared up enough for me to attend the cinema screening in June. I will be so happy if Gary Avis dances Tybalt. He’s superb in that role. I love the whole ballet. (Yes, Fiz, we know. Stop fan girling!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, alison said: No other comments as yet? I hope some people were there Oh dear. "Martin James syndrome". Possibly "Johannes Stepanek syndrome"? Any other contenders ...? Agree with your suggestions Alison, and Anne's. I would add Julian Hosking and Royce Neagle at NBT. Edited March 27, 2019 by Darlex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 7 hours ago, alison said: No other comments as yet? I hope some people were there Oh dear. "Martin James syndrome". Possibly "Johannes Stepanek syndrome"? Any other contenders ...? 12 minutes ago, Darlex said: Agree with your suggestions Alison, and Anne's. I would add Julian Hosking and Royce Neagle at NBT. Alexander Sombart, Martin James and the nonpareil Royce Neagle for me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 8 hours ago, alison said: Oh dear. "Martin James syndrome". Possibly "Johannes Stepanek syndrome"? Any other contenders ...? Some of the above and, more recently with ENB, Daniele Silingardi. But, last night, the Romeo was Matthew Ball - so, surely, it was a no brainer 😉 Where are everyone's 'reviews' of the opening night per se? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) While Romeo and Juliet is not my favourite ballet and Prokofiev is definitely not my favourite composer, there’s a lot to love about a Macmillan classic. Of course there are the stunning pas des deux between Juliet and Romeo- the first meeting, the balcony scene, the morning after they marry and the devastating pas de deux after Juliet appears to be dead - which Cuthbertson played seemingly effortlessly. Cuthbertson’s Juliet is charming and youthful- her whole body acts out youth and innocence. Her natural humour is well conveyed through the choreography and there were a number of laughs from the audience. Ball’s Romeo is a cheeky chap and a ladies’ man (well harlot’s man) until he falls hook, line and sinker for Juliet. Together they are a perfect pairing and have such a strong connection. Looking forward to seeing Ball dance with Naghdi in the cinema to compare. Aside from the pas des deux, the sword fights and multiple deaths are at the core of the ballet. Acting was superb all round from Avis’ easy to provoke, fiery Tybalt to Zuchetti’s Jack the lad portrayal of Mercutio which had a helping of pure testosterone fuelled impulsiveness thrown in for good measure.They sparred so well and really drew the audience into the action. Romeo’s vengeful fight with Tybalt was full of fiery impulse until Romeo steps back, almost rational again and thinks ‘what have I done?’. As Mercutio and Tybalt succumbed to the sword, the agony and brutality of their deaths were played out so well in MacMillan’s choreography, particularly thinking of Avis stumbling and tumbling around the stage and the agony of Lady Capulet (I think) as she wept. A final mention for the harlots- Mendizabel, Magri and Calvert - where would a MacMillan ballet be without a sprinkle of harlots? They all seemed to have immense fun playing them but Mendizabel really stood out as a real natural with this sort of character role. Moving onto the company as a whole, I am still in awe at what a brilliant bunch of actors are in the company, from the corps de ballet up to principal level. Along with the expression in the choreography, they really lift Shakespeare’s words off the page with every movement. I imagine the the strong heritage of emotive choreography from Macmillan is what enables this. Finally, I am off to revisit the text. So much detail in terms of the characters’ motivations and actions which I want to explore, but also so many unanswered questions! Edited March 27, 2019 by alison To reduce font size 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Glad to see comments about Lauren Cuthbertson's convincing youthfulness, given that I have perceived the same when I've seen her dance the role in the past, but had been concerned that dancing opposite a much younger Romeo might change this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 23 hours ago, RuthE said: Glad to see comments about Lauren Cuthbertson's convincing youthfulness, given that I have perceived the same when I've seen her dance the role in the past, but had been concerned that dancing opposite a much younger Romeo might change this. I know what you mean, Ruth, but no, not at all. For me, nobody quite captures Juliet’s youthfulness like Cuthbertson. She seems to have the most extraordinary chemistry with her Romeo, regardless of his age in real life. Her performance with Ball on Tuesday made me wish even more that I’d been able to see their Marguerite and Armand. Cuthbertson inhabits the role completely and is especially captivating in her reaction to Lord Capulet; she’s already become a young woman which is reflected in the bedroom pdd BUT is both frightened of her Father and simultaneously defiant as only teenagers are. Ball is quickly developing into a very fine actor and was audibly enraged during his fight with Tybalt. Terrific performances from the whole cast on Tuesday. Gary Avis as Tybalt is as multi-layered as you would expect; yet another of his roles that really should be captured on film. My only gripe was that even more people than usual scuttled out of the stalls the instant the curtains closed. The performance hadn’t overrun and it seems SO disrespectful to the performers to just up and walk out as if we were at the cinema. I can’t imagine that all those people had pre-booked trains. 🤔 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Anna C said: My only gripe was that even more people than usual scuttled out of the stalls the instant the curtains closed. The performance hadn’t overrun and it seems SO disrespectful to the performers to just up and walk out as if we were at the cinema. I can’t imagine that all those people had pre-booked trains. 🤔 Funny, what really struck me at last Saturday night's DQ performance at the end was the number of people in the stalls NOT clapping but filming the curtain call with their phones. I was standing in the SCS area and it was very obvious; like a slap in the face. The volume of appreciation would have been quite different were this multitude not to have been otherwise engaged. I usually stand in the Upper Amphi and you don't get anywhere the number of people pursuing such activities. Understandable I suppose given the distance. I'm not quite sure why but I found this surprising ... and not a little disheartening. In my mind's ear I could hear my late mother 'tutting'. Edited March 28, 2019 by Bruce Wall 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Funny you should mention that, Bruce. A young woman near me who, inexplicably, could manage neither a smile nor a clap during either the performance or the early curtain calls suddenly, and totally out of the blue, whipped out her phone and started taking photographs. What the ...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Without wishing to take this thread off topic, I was bothered by exactly the same thing at the first night of La forza del destino. Especially because the "standing ovation" completely blocked my view of the curtain calls. Half the people standing and blocking my view were only doing so in order to film rather than applaud. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Am I right in thinking that, technically, filming and photography aren’t allowed even during the curtain calls? If so, surely the ushers should intervene when it reaches nuisance levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 8 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: Am I right in thinking that, technically, filming and photography aren’t allowed even during the curtain calls? If so, surely the ushers should intervene when it reaches nuisance levels. As they do (or did) at the Coliseum at the first sight of a phone. The approach at the ROH is far from consistent. My daughter recently had to ask a very truculent neighbour who had spent much of the first act checking emails to turn off her phone with no intervention from the ushers whereas, on a different occasion, I brought mine out to turn it off and was jumped on by an usher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) 25 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: Am I right in thinking that, technically, filming and photography aren’t allowed even during the curtain calls? If so, surely the ushers should intervene when it reaches nuisance levels. Most of the dancers post videos of the curtain calls on Instagram taken by audience members. Personally I use a camera with a screen which folds back on itself and an electronic viewfinder that I hold to my face so it’s not emitting any light or sound, I don’t video it but take short bursts of photos between my moments of applause and I remain seated. Edited March 28, 2019 by Rob S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now