The Royal Ballet - Sleeping Beauty, Spring 2014

[alison]

The view is poor from the front, non- existant at the rear. Queen Victoria installed a mirror to reflect the stage when she discovered her attendants couldn't see anything from the back. You get shown all this on the ROH's auditorium tour (not the backstage one).

Ah. I was thinking I hadn't been in there recently. Was it in the backstage tours when they started them, or are my memories going back pre-closure, when there were no public tours (and you could go up in the fly tower and the paintshop and all sorts of places which are probably banned by health and safety now)?

[Jan McNulty]

Many years ago, pre-closure, we certainly went into the Royal Box on a backstage tour and people who wanted to were able to go up in the fly tower.  We did this tour on a trip organised by Friends of BRB.

[GTL]

The ROH does two tours, it's the " Velvet, gilt and glamour" one. http://www.roh.org.uk/visit/tours

[capybara]

Please does anyone know whether Christina Arestis's Carabosse and Tierney Heap's Lilac Fairy this after noon were debuts?

[aileen]

I saw the Choe/Hirano cast today. Choe was a lovely Aurora. She was serene and confident in the Rose Adagio and there was not a wobble in sight. My only slight criticism is that she could have been a little more exuberant in her opening variation. Once again, the Prologue lacked a bit of sparkle. Tierney Heap was the Lilac Fairy. I felt that the role was beyond her and she struggled with her variation in the Prologue. I've yet to see a Florimund dance a really good Act 2 variation. I'll be interested to see what Muntagirov makes of it.

[capybara]

. Tierney Heap was the Lilac Fairy. I felt that the role was beyond her and she struggled with her variation in the Prologue.

 

Hence my query as to whether this was her debut. The closing moments of the Lilac Fairy variation in the prologue require almost superhuman technique, strength, nerve and poise - all of which develop over time.

 

I have been waiting for far too many years for Yuhui Choe's Aurora and I loved both her dancing and her nuanced interpretation.

 

I did feel, however, that the performances which surrounded her were of rather variable quality this afternoon.

[Mary]

I felt the Lilac Fairy was the weakest part of the performance I saw-the first evening- but can't for the life of me find the cast sheet. It was not so much  failure to rise to  the- really extreme - technical difficulty, more a lack of magical authority and other-worldly grace.

 

Does anyone else remember seeing, in the last few perfomances before the Royal Opera House closed for re-development, Darcey Bussell come on at the end as the Lilac Fairy and 'put the house to sleep' ? A fond memory. Evidence of the sentimentality of a balletomane perhaps but it made me blub at the time!

[alison]

I still think Bussell was one of the best Lilac Fairies I've seen.  The role really suited her, it seemed to me at the time, but I'm not sure she ever danced it after she was made Principal.

[chrischris]

Wasn't Bussell supposed to be a really great Aurora? I think I remember reading somewhere that she though it was her best role and the one that changed her career.

[Bluebird]

Please does anyone know whether Christina Arestis's Carabosse and Tierney Heap's Lilac Fairy this after noon were debuts?

 

It was definitely Tierney's debut. As for Christina, I suspect it was her debut but don't know for sure.

[loveclassics]

Wasn't Bussell supposed to be a really great Aurora? I think I remember reading somewhere that she though it was her best role and the one that changed her career.

Yes, she was frequently described by fans and critics as being a perfect Aurora.  I think this is because the role fits her naturally sunny disposition (on stage, that is).  But I don't think it changed her career as she had already been a great hit in The Prince of the Pagodas and promoted to principal after the first performance.  Pagodas was MacMillan's tribute to Sleeping Beauty so presumably he too thought her a potentially great Aurora.

 

Linda

[Jamesrhblack]

The RB Aurora I always wanted to see was Deborah Bull and had booked for her scheduled performance in Hammersmith. Unfortunately,she was ill and was never scheduled again. I know she danced it a few times as substitute and there are one or two beautiful pictures of her in the role. Did anybody on here see her in the role and, indeed, as Kitri? She writes most interestingly about dancing both roles in Dancing Away and The Everyday Dancer.

[alison]

Yes, she was frequently described by fans and critics as being a perfect Aurora.  I think this is because the role fits her naturally sunny disposition (on stage, that is).

Yet in my (admittedly limited) experience, I found I preferred Belinda Hatley in the role.

[Fonty]

I agree that it suited Bussell's smiling stage personality, but I would not say she was perfect, for me anyway.  I would have to say that my favourite from that era was Durante.

 

I suppose I just prefer my Aurora small and dainty. 

[Euan]

Is Sleeping Beauty possibly one of the RB's signature works. Margot Fonteyn and the 4 princes etc? Then R and J and those based on Scott Joplin by Kenneth MacMillan.

[Odyssey]

Several of the above posts got me wondering about the practice of casting the role of Lilac fairy. Am I right in thinking that in the Royal Ballet, the role is unlikely to be danced by an established principal? Is this because although it is quite technically demanding it doesn't offer the opportunities for characterisation ? Is this the same practice in other companies? For me, the Lilac Fairy is a key factor in a strong performance of Sleeping a Beauty - more so than the Florimund/Bluebirds pas de deux.

[Jamesrhblack]

The Lilac Fairy always used, like Myrtha, to be a principal role - Deanne Bergsma, Vergie Derman, Monica Mason come to mind from my early days - I would think not just because of the surprising difficulty of the solo but because the role needs a stage authority in the mime. These days, perhaps as there are fewer principals, both roles seem exclusively danced (apart from the broadcasts with Nunez) by First Soloists or below (and, without naming names.pretty shakily the last couple of times I saw Beauty, which I haven't this season).

[alison]

Back when I first started watching the RB's Beauty, there tended to be a Principal or two dancing Prologue fairies, too.

 

Somewhere along the line, it would seem that the Lilac Fairy in RB productions has become quite statuesque, which obviously limits the dancers you can put into it: it was a great shock seeing someone as tiny as Lucette Aldous dancing it in the 1959 telecast the other day.  I see no reason why a Principal (or at least someone of Principal material) shouldn't dance it - and indeed I think Nunez, Cuthbertson and Ansanelli did round about 2006 (were they all Principals then?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps not), but I don't think it's happened recently.  It may be logistically too much to fit it in when the ballerinas are all doing Aurora as well.

[Ian Macmillan]

Euan:  There might be a historian who'll intervene to give the whole picture, but I don't think there's any question about Sleeping Beauty being one of the RB's signature works.  One could trace a line from the Messel-designed production that reopened the Royal Opera House in 1946, through the variations/deviations that have brought things back to what is today, in essence, that production.  But I think you'd then have to add in Frederick Ashton's contributions to the rep before getting to Ken MacMillan's contribution.  If you could find yourself a copy of Alexander Bland's "The Royal Ballet, The First 50 Years" that would give you lots of historical information.   

[LinMM]

I like to see a strong Lilac Fairy too. I didn't realise it wasn't danced by principal dancers anymore. I would say it is a role that at least should be danced by someone being considered for Principal status unless Company injuries etc dictate otherwise.

 

If there is no real charisma or "glow" coming from the Lilac Fairy then this is very disappointing in my view. Although it may not be that big on characterisation there is room to create a sort of "radiance of goodness" that is not that easy to do.....so not a role for inexperienced dancers really.

 

I love that Alexander Bland book too!

Edited March 15, 2014 by LinMM

[aileen]

People used to complain that the RB didn't give enough opportunities to young dancers but I'm afraid that recently (Giselle and Beauty) the company seems to be veering in the opposite direction and under casting some roles. If there are no tall dancers who are suitable for Myrthe, the Lilac Fairy etc then these roles should be cast with smaller dancers. I can't see why some of the suitable Auroras can't dance the Lilac Fairy as well as they only have two or three performances in a run spread over several weeks, but perhaps the rehearsals for Winter's Tale are too time consuming for them to be spared.

[Fonty]

I last saw Sleeping Beauty at ROH about 5 years ago.  Can't remember who I saw in any of the roles, but I do remember thinking that generally speaking the standard of dancing had dropped.  The only person who seemed comfortable on stage was Morera as one of the fairies.

 

Why on earth should the Lilac Fairy be statuesque?  As others have said, she simply needs to be authoritative, and that should be achieved with a commanding stage presence.  Height should have nothing to do with it.

[capybara]

People used to complain that the RB didn't give enough opportunities to young dancers but I'm afraid that recently (Giselle and Beauty) the company seems to be veering in the opposite direction and under casting some roles.

 

I agree. A performance is undermined fundamentally if these two roles do not carry the necessary 'presence'.

 

Incidentally, the Lilac Fairy returned in Act III on Thursday afternoon with only 4 attendants in place of the usual 8 (number confirmed by the performance screened on Sky Arts the same evening). Also, Florestan and his sisters failed to return for the first part of the finale, thus leaving a longish gap centre stage and surprised faces among the corps.

Edited March 15, 2014 by capybara

[Jamesrhblack]

Stage management error? Years ago at a Hatley / Mukhamedov Beauty occurred the incident when Gillian Revie hadn't checked the call sheet and Deborah Bull, due to dance Florine, noticed that Florestan was sporting only one sister so climbed into a spare tutu and took to the stage in a solo she had t previously danced. She recounts this episode in Damcing Away and Gillian Revie confirms it in a Forum interview.

[aileen]

I didn't notice the missing attendants but I do remember the long pause in Act 3. I had thought that it was followed by a pair of dancers coming onto stage, the Bluebird pairing perhaps. It's a shame for Choe who gave such an immaculate performance that the rest of the performance was a bit below par. Did anyone see the evening performance? I have seen some critical comments about it on Twitter. I wonder whether the holiday has had an impact, and there seem to be many injuries as well, as evidenced by the change change sheet on Thursday afternoon.

[Odyssey]

Back when I first started watching the RB's Beauty, there tended to be a Principal or two dancing Prologue fairies, too.

.

Your right of course :1977- Vergie Derman, Ann Jenner, Wendy Ellis, Alfreda Thorogood, Wendy Ellis, Marguerite Porter & Laura Connor all fairies in one performance with cavaliers of the calibre of Derek Deanne, Julian Hosking, Michael Batchelor & Stephen Beagley.. Each principal also had a role in one of the Act 2 variations.

[Bluebird]

 

Incidentally, the Lilac Fairy returned in Act III on Thursday afternoon with only 4 attendants in place of the usual 8 (number confirmed by the performance screened on Sky Arts the same evening). 

 

Unusually, this run, there have only been 4 attendants on stage in Act III.  In the past, when some of the attendants from Act 1 have been used in other roles in Act III (eg the White Cat or Red Riding Hood) the numbers have been made up by students.  This season, there have been many injuries in the corps and they don't seem to have used students to fill in the gaps.  This, presumably, explains why they have only fielded 6 attendants in Act 1 (instead of 8) and only 4 in Act III.  In my opinion this is a mistake as the overall impact has been consequently diminished.  It will be interesting to see if they augment the numbers of attendants for the cinema broadcast.

[aileen]

Yes, I noticed how many dancers reappeared two or three times. Is this due to injury or a policy to give dancers some performances off?

[Coated]

All was well in fairyland today at the matinee. Kobayashi made a surprisingly sweet Aurora with beautiful, rock-solid balances. Seriously, she looked like she could comfortably balance on a pin's head and smile cheerfully at the same time. After her Myrtha I wasn't overly keen on today's casting, now I'm rather looking forward to my second ticket for that cast.

I was pretty impressed at the way she portrayed Aurora as cheerful, happy and innocent without veering anywhere near coy.

 

I thought the prologue fairies had settled in a little, and a couple of them looked quite confident on stage, particularly liked Romany Padjak today. To me the company looked more cohesive today than when I saw them before the break, though I think it's fair to say that there is still room for improvement.

[Nina G.]

Yes, I noticed how many dancers reappeared two or three times. Is this due to injury or a policy to give dancers some performances off?

More likely due to the current high injury rate  (to give dancers some performances off is not in their "vocabulary" I assume).

[alison]

If there is no real charisma or "glow" coming from the Lilac Fairy then this is very disappointing in my view. Although it may not be that big on characterisation there is room to create a sort of "radiance of goodness" that is not that easy to do.....so not a role for inexperienced dancers really.

 

Very true, although of course everyone has to start somewhere

 

People used to complain that the RB didn't give enough opportunities to young dancers but I'm afraid that recently (Giselle and Beauty) the company seems to be veering in the opposite direction and under casting some roles. If there are no tall dancers who are suitable for Myrthe, the Lilac Fairy etc then these roles should be cast with smaller dancers.

 

As far as I can see, the problem is that a number of the more-experienced/older dancers are off at the moment, so potential choices are more limited than normal.  It's a great opportunity for younger dancers, as long as they're not o'erparted, as Clement Crisp terms it.

[Mousem40]

All was well in fairyland today at the matinee. Kobayashi made a surprisingly sweet Aurora with beautiful, rock-solid balances. Seriously, she looked like she could comfortably balance on a pin's head and smile cheerfully at the same time. After her Myrtha I wasn't overly keen on today's casting, now I'm rather looking forward to my second ticket for that cast.

I was pretty impressed at the way she portrayed Aurora as cheerful, happy and innocent without veering anywhere near coy.

I thought the prologue fairies had settled in a little, and a couple of them looked quite confident on stage, particularly liked Romany Padjak today. To me the company looked more cohesive today than when I saw them before the break, though I think it's fair to say that there is still room for improvement.

I agree, Kobayashi was masterful during the Rose Adagio, although I felt her connection with the audience and Bonelli lacked spark. I thought she was much better suited as Queen of the Wilis where she really shone.

 

Really looking forward to seeing Osipova's interpretation.

[capybara]

There was much discussion a while ago as to whether the Principal roster of the Royal Ballet was sufficiently starry. I feel that the current run of Sleeping Beauty is exposing weaknesses in the middle ranks which younger, less experienced dancers are not quite ready to fill where key roles are concerned.. That being the case, in fairness to the audience, the Company should arguably be (for example) fielding Lilac Fairies at Principal level. Zenaida Yanowsky does not seem to have a role in Sleeping Beauty, Lauren Cuthbertson lost one of her performances and Marianela Nunez's run of Auroras has not yet begun. All three are superlative Lilac Fairies. And, of course, when ENB mounted Kenneth MacMillan's version last season, many of the Principals were 'on' several times a week. In addition, one was dancing Aurora and Lilac Fairy; two were dancing Aurora and Prologue fairies. I do, of course, appreciate that A Winter's Tale has a call on the time of those I have named and that, unfortunately, injuries abound at the RB at the moment.