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BRB: The Taming of the Shrew, Birmingham, June 2016


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To celebrate the Shakespeare 400 year, Birmingham Royal Ballet have a season themed on the Bard's works, starting off with The Taming of the Shrew at the Birmingham Hippodrome. I was at the rehearsal in the week, so here are a few photos:

 

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Tyrone Singleton, Nao Sakuma

© Dave Morgan. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

 

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Celine Gittens, Mathias Dingman, Valetin Olovyannikov, Ana Albutashvili

© Dave Morgan. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

 

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Set from DanceTabs: BRB - The Taming of the Shrew

Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

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Happily have arrived safely in Leicester with time to spare. Thank you trains!

 

It was a sparkling, superb performance by BRB this afternoon in Birmingham. I find the storyline of Shrew uncomfortable in terms of how it portrays relationships, but am prepared to ignore that and focus on the incredible dancing. Cranko's choreography really is sensational, especially the pdd & lifts.

Iain Mackay and Elisha Willis were dazzlingly vibrant as Patricio & Katerina.

Jenna Roberts and Brandon Lawrence stunning as the other main pair plus Chi and Rory Mackay brilliantly entertaining as the other 2 suitors.

 

Superb dancing all round. Very tempted to take a trip to Bristol to see the same cast on Friday 1 July. I think that may br Elisha's last performance before she retires from BRB. She was sensational today and such a rapport with Iain Mackay, they were a dream pairing today.

 

I've not been to Bristol before but currently due to low ticket sales for BRB's shows van much have my pick of tickets! I so hope sales pick up because I would hate for people to miss out on seeing this Cranko ballet danced so well and to see Elisha before she retires.

 

If anyone has any advice on Bristol Hippo, hotels near, can you walk to it from station please let me know. Need to get onto hotel sites tonight once I'm back home from Jane Eyre in Leicester.

Edited by nottsballetlover
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I was very glad to get the opportunity to be at today's matinee.  Elisha Willis was superb as Kate and Ian Mackay also.  It is a find retirement performance for her to be remembered by.  The company performs this ballet as if they were born to dance it, with an even lighter touch than when Stuttgart Ballet brought it to Sadlers Wells a few years ago.  Speaking after the performance at a Q&A to launch his new memoirs, "Wrights & Wrongs", Sir Peter Wright, who was responsible for introducing this ballet to what was then SWRB, after it was a dud at the RB, told the audience how much he had enjoyed this performance too.  No higher praise is needed.

 

Sir Peter's memoirs have been written with Paul Arrowsmith, who I am sure most here will remember as a contributor in the glory days of Ballet.co, and a good friend to many of us. The event after this performance to launch them was fascinating and Sir Peter spoke with the same candour that my brief reading of the book on the train home suggests he writes with.  There is a superb chapter on Cranko specifically, and Wright's insights into the world of British ballet are perhaps as insightful and at times controversial as you could wish for.  All steered so deftly by Paul.  An absolute must read!

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I can only echo what pervious posters have said both about the matinee performance  and Sir Peter's talk beforehand. BRB really sparkled in this ballet and though I have similar reservations to nottsballetlover about some of the more controversial aspects of the 'taming', the choreography and the truly fabulous dancing are what you remember when you come away. Though I have seen him dance before Iain Mackay was a real revelation in this ballet. His Petruchio was every bit as good if not better than the Stuttgart Ballet performances we saw 2 and a half years ago. The role is such a tour de force. It must be one of the most challenging male roles with both physically demanding solos and complex pas de deux. Also Elisha Willis performance was really excellent; the 2 were perfectly matched and it is very sad she is leaving. Although their choreography was probably deliberately not as exciting, Brandon Lawrence and Jenna Roberts were also excellent as Lucentio and Bianca.I wish BRB were doing it at the Lowry then I could see it again. A pity BRB don't do the cinema broadcasts as it would be great on a big screen (though I suppose Reid Anderson would oppose it).

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I attended yesterday's matinee in Birmingham and think it was the best performance that I have seen so far all year and I have seen some really good ones already.

 

I admire Cranko and his work very much but I think The Taming of the Shrew is my favourite even though I have seen it only once before.   The other performance that I saw was by the Stuttgart Ballet when they visited Sadler's Wells in November 2013 and though I enjoyed that performance very much indeed I enjoyed the Birmingham Royal Ballet's even more.

 

Elisha Willis has always been one of my favourites and it was good to see her one last time, She was a delightful Katherina and she was partnered well by Iain Mackay as her Petrucchio. There were however great performances by Brandon Lawrence (a local chap and another of my favourites) and Jenna Roberts as Bianca, Delia Matthews and Angela Paul as the whores, Rory Mackay as Gremio and Chi Cao as Hortensio and Valentin Olovyannikov who doubled as the publican and priest. He must have made a study of dippy vicars as I've met some just like him. All the cast did well.

 

I was delighted to see that Katherine had written one of the programme notes which I read with interest on the train back to Huddersfield.   She expressed some interesting ideas which I will discuss when I come to review the ballet properly which will be later today or sometime next week.

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Hi NBL, two hotels convenient for the Bristol Hippodrome are the Premier Inns on Haymarket and Kings Street, both couple mins walk away, latter prob nicer.

 

The station at temple meads Bristol is inconveniently not in walking distance. A taxi would take about ten mins, if that, loads of them outside Hippodrome. Or a number 8 or 9 bus stops right outside and goes to station, about every 15 mins in eve, so would be safetest leave about one hour.

 

Bus and coach station is only a couple mins walk from Hippodrome.

 

Hippodrome has a few restaurants around, like Pizza Hut etc.

 

Tickets sales are shocking, I almost don't want to go, as it's embarrassing.

Edited by cavycapers
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Coach station is probably 1/4-1/2 a mile away, an easy walk.  The railway station is definitely further away: the one time I ever attended an evening performance at the Hippo and had to get a train home, I *had* to get a cab because I just couldn't risk having to wait however long for a bus and possibly missing the train.  The cab didn't take that long, but I remember the route as being quite involved. 

 

Unfortunately, although the coaches do go on further into the evening than they used to, they don't run nearly late enough to accommodate a return to London after a performance - so I'm stuck with matinees only.  I gather that the journey in the opposite direction is rather easier.

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I saw the first three performances in Birmingham last week and was fortunate to see all three leading casts.

 

This ballet fits BRB like a glove!  It is as faithful to the Shakespeare text as it can be and the misogyny can be hard to watch albeit in the ballet there is a romantic overtime and, of course, the happy ending.

 

When I first heard last year that the company were to perform Shrew, I immediately thought of Elisha Willis as the Shrew.  I was not wrong - she is totally subsumed into the role and was absolutely wonderful.  Her Petrucchio was Iain Mackay  was a great foil for her.  The energy on stage was palpable and their partnership was just sublime!  What a wonderful major role to finish your career on!

 

The other dancer I thought of as Katharina was Samara Downs and, again, she lived up to expectation.  Her Petrucchio was Yasuo Atsuji, who was, for me, a surprise casting.  Well, it shows what I know - he was terrific!  Again they were paired together brilliantly and they achieved the "figurehead lift" most spectacularly - you could hear the whole audience gasp.

 

The one dancer I did not think of as a Katharina was Nao (Wonder Woman) Sakuma who gave possibly the best performance of her career.  She was utterly magnificent and utterly believable.  Tyrone Singleton was, of course, magnificent as her Petrucchio.  I think the first time they danced together was at the Lowry in March when Tyrone unexpectedly made an early debut as Romeo with Nao as his Juliet and no rehearsal time as a partnership.  They were wonderful then and they were wonderful together last week!

 

Of course this ballet is not made up of just one couple and there were some outstanding performances in the other roles.

 

Brandon Lawrence was achingly romantic as Lucentio with both Jenna Roberts and Yvette Knight, who both gave intelligent accounts of the sweeter-natured Bianca.  Karla Doorbar was lovely as Bianca too, with the dashingly elegant Cesar Morales as her Lucentio.

 

Chi Cao very nearly stole the show with his perfect comic timing and subtly acted Hortensio.  Well known for his beautiful classic style, he has tapped his inner comedian for this performance and caused belly laughs throughout!  Mathias Dingman was also very funny but his acting had a broader brush approach than Chi.

 

Rory Mackay, Valentin Olovyanikov and James Barton were all hilarious as Gremio.

 

The whores were all hilarious too - it seems strange praising someone as a great whore but Delia Matthews, Angela Paul, Celine Gittens, Ana Albutishvili, Celine Gittens and Jade Heuson all entered into the spirit of the  role!

 

All the members of the company entered into the spirit of the piece and the orchestra was on top form too.  Despite the misogyny, this piece is a joy to watch especially as danced by BRB!

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I saw Rupert Christiansen of the Mail on Sunday at the Friday matinee and remembering his unfair slating of the BRB Romeo and Juliet I wondered how he would report on this performance. Well, I was wrong. It is a near rave and he gives it 5*. He was particularly takenjoyed with Tyrone Singleton, thoroughly deservedly, saying he can never have done anything better. He says his dancing of the virtuoso passages is crisply articulated and his characterisation of a devilish but insouciant charmer is simply irresistible.

 

When he said you could almost hear female hearts fluttering in the auditorium as he falls down drunk and is debagged. Fluttering? Mine was banging like it had run a marathon.

 

I did see both the first and second casts and was very enthusiastic about both. I felt that both Iain Mackay (Erroll Flynn) and Tyrone ( Douglas Fairbanks Snr) were have the time of their lives and really enjoying themselves as Petruchio. Elisha Willis has picked a terrific role for her farewell but I must also mention Nao Sakuma. Like Janet I had huge reservations about her casting but she came on like a little ninja and those reservations disappeared very quickly.

 

I really enjoyed both shows and I would stress to any reader who is considering seeing any of the performances in Bristol to do so.

 

There has been a lot of talk about the RB promotions and the BRB ones must be due next week. Bintley has a really galaxy of stars to choose from and I think we may be talking about those who miss out rather than those who do get recognised.

Edited by Two Pigeons
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Some cheap tickets available certainly on my ATG card - "BARD400" tickets are just £17 so for that price I've booked Wednesday evening's performance as I am in Gloucester that day anyway.  There were loads of tickets still available.

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Saw TotS last night in Bristol. Excellent show and what a great ballet! BRB as usual on sparkling form, watching Iain Mackay, Elisha Willis, Jenna Roberts, Chi Cao, Brandon Lawrence, Rory Mackay, Delia Mathews and Angela Paul was a joy from start to finish. Best £17 I've spent, go see.

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Words fail. Just saw Taming in Bristol with Elisha Willis dancing her last ever show with BRB. Rapturous applause, mini flower throw, me and quite a few others standing to show our appreciation for this very special dancer. Brava Elisha. Her final ppd was perfection and so moving. Very emotional.

All good wishes to Elisha for the future.

Edited by nottsballetlover
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Words fail. Just saw Taming in Bristol with Elisha Willis dancing her last ever show with BRB. Rapturous applause, mini flower throw, me and quite a few others standing to show our appreciation for this very special dancer. Brava Elisha. Her final ppd was perfection and so moving. Very emotional.

All good wishes to Elisha for the future.

 

 

Wish I could have been there, thanks for the report.

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Just a few additional thoughts on last night's Taming of the Shrew. I have time to spare ahead of today's matinee!

 

I think maybe because it was Elisha's last performance, the whole company was on dazzling form. Stunning performances by Iain Mackay, Jenna Roberts, Brandon Lawrence, Chi Cao & Rory Mackay. They all projected immense humour and emotion into a sadly only half full theatre. Also a brilliant performance as both innkeeper and priest by Valenin Olovyannikov. He has grown on me immensely as a really superb dancer/actor over the last season; his Tybalt was the most chilling I've seen in recent years and last night he also showed he can do the humorous roles!

 

Special mention for RB Sinfonia also last night in probably the most bizarre positioning for an orchestra in a ballet I have ever seen. Bristol Hippodrome appears to have no pit?! The orchestra was therefore oddly arranged on the steps that would normally house seating in the rows A to F. For myself and others in the front seating in row G, this gave me an unprecedented view of their world, usually 'down there'!!!! I could literally read the scores, and the players sitting nearby (trombone and percussionist) were very chatty to us all in the interval! They tweeted that for once they could actually sit back and watch the show when not playing. And boy were they glued to this most amazing, special performance!!

 

Nice touch by the orchestra to throw flowers for Elisha at the end.

 

Odd theatre really. Reeks of mould, seems stuck in the 19th century. Except the bar prices, which are higher than ROH!! But I've really enjoyed my mini trip to Bristol, even though it has stretched my limits on 'reasonable travelling distance' from Nottingham. Had some time to explore the harbour this morning on a rare rain free day and lots of beautiful buildings to see. I did walk it to Hippo from train station. Ok walk but needed to keep asking the way as Bristol lacks maps!!

 

Off to TOTS matinee shortly. Then home! Last ballet for me now until 1 October . Weep!!

Edited by nottsballetlover
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I also attended Friday eve's Taming of the Shrew that nottsballetlover has reported on. The main reason for me was to see Elisha Willis dance one last time and it was a privilege - as it always has been to watch her. She looked clearly moved by the flowers and rapture at the end and it seems hard to believe this was her last professional performance because she looked, as always, in such good form. Like you nottsballetlover it was a trek to get to Bristol but I am so glad I did. Predictably not a huge audience (in fact they closed the balcony) but a great reception at the end, which I hope gave the dancers satisfaction.

 

I had only seen Willis in the grand classics so quite a difference to see her in a role that demands acting, and some non-classical steps/postures. I simply enjoyed her every move on stage. But what a fascinating, entertaining, and splendid ballet TOTS is ! BRB as usual delivered exceptional quality and convinced me with their interpretation of this complex music, brisk plot narrative, light and shade with frenetic comedy and romantic pas de deux. Having not seen much narrative ballet (rather than 'fairy tale' ballet), the only thing I could compare with is either Nureyev's or MacMillan's Romeo & Juliet, and I thought the features of strong male choreography and sexuality in those ballets were equally strong here. Brandon Lawrence as Lucentio gave such a dazzling solo in Act II that I'd love to see again. Iain Mackay as Petruchio really commanded the stage and I'm still seeing in my mind his beautiful pirouettes in attitude.

 

A real summer ballet treat that I am so glad I did not miss. By the way thanks to Don Q Fan for the cheap tickets tip.17 quid for a front row grand circle seat for a performance of this quality is beyond great value.

Edited by northstar
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So glad NBL and NS enjoyed the show too - I agree the bargain price for the quality was just mind boggling!  I had an horrendous drive in to Bristol (notorious for its traffic which has only got worse) but it was 100% worth the hassle to see the performance on Wednesday - a shame that the theatre was not full, Bristol doesn't know what it missed.  I can only marvel at the dancers of BRB they are stellar and I will say it again - if ever a company looks on stage like it loves what it's doing it's BRB.  Have BRB made a return to Bristol after a long absence?  I seemed to hear something to the effect that the dancers themselves chose the venue?  Maybe I am wrong.  I also spotted ex ENB dancer Daniel Jones who had come along to watch which was nice.  Well done BRB again and I wish Elisha well for the future.

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Don Q Fan on Friday there was a pre-performance talk by the conductor Philip Eliss, artist Jade Heusen, and Johnny Eyre lighting director. They said they have not been to Bristol since 1999, I am afraid I cannot recall if specific reasons why were discussed. One of the audience members said she had been backstage and was quite disparaging about the facilities available for the company at Bristol, but Jade laughed it off saying they were used it. It was also mentioned that there was very little room in the wings which caused problems with the horse!  

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I was at the final performance on Saturday night. I was unconvinced by the first act, I think I found it rather unvarying, and then the second act started, Tyrone and Nao came on on a wooden horse, on the way to Petruchio's house, and I found myself laughing out loud at Nao's brilliant acrobatics on the horse, hanging upside down at one point and biting on Petruchio's hand when he whisked the food away (and I'm not a laugher out loud) and from then on, I was sucked in by this delightful production, and relished every minute. I wasn't the only one. The tiny crowd in Bristol more than made up for their small numbers with their massively enthusiastic applause, and all left smiling, and I remembered once again why the BRB are probably overall my favourite company!

Edited by cavycapers
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Doing a rather belated catchup here!

 

Special mention for RB Sinfonia also last night in probably the most bizarre positioning for an orchestra in a ballet I have ever seen. Bristol Hippodrome appears to have no pit?! The orchestra was therefore oddly arranged on the steps that would normally house seating in the rows A to F.

[snip]

Odd theatre really. Reeks of mould, seems stuck in the 19th century. Except the bar prices, which are higher than ROH!!

It's ATG still, isn't it? In which case I'd guess the ice cream prices are higher than the ROH, too. I've pretty much given up buying them at other ATG theatres - it seems ludicrous that I can get a bowl of ice cream cheaper in local chain restaurants than I can a tub at the theatre!

 

And re the orchestra pit, or lack thereof, I certainly remember that at least one of ENB's regular venues doesn't have a pit, so I guess it must be there.

 

Have BRB made a return to Bristol after a long absence?

 

I guess so. It's been one of ENB's haunts for years, but I'm not sure how frequently they're visiting at the moment.

 

I would think the most obvious reason is the Arts Council influence in touring schedules.

That sounds very likely - they probably don't want two of the major British touring companies overlapping venues.

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As a local, I feel must stick up for the Bristol Hippodrome here! It is old and a bit smelly, but it is over 100 years oldand listed, and I rather like that. I like the lack of orchestra pit, it means I can see all the orchestra, which for me is a plus, and it also means that the first few rows of stalls are high enough so that you don't have that awful thing of not being able to see feet, obvs important with a ballet.

 

The ATG involvement is unavoidable, but I play them at their own game, and go to the little shop a couple of doors down in the interval and get a £1 tub, fits nicely in my handbag!

 

The ENB come every autumn for 4 nights, and do very well ticket wise. Despite shocking ticket sales, the BRB are coming back to give it another go next year, and because they are bringing Coppelia next year, one hopes that it will do better than the more risky 'Taming of the Shrew' did.

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