Scheherezade

Plus an additional 10% discount if you're a Friend.

A mix and match of topics, I know, but why on earth wasn't Bracewell cast as Albrecht?

Which may be why she is so good in roles such as Ondine.

This, to me, completely sums up her performances, Maryrose. It's that 'something' that nobody else really has. And somehow it feels wrong to use the word 'performances' because it never feels as though she is giving a performance.

I feel another ballet coming on! Maybe one in which Matthew Ball can consolidate his growing range of cads. Or Wayne McGregor could explore the mathematical possibilities behind spectral manifestations in a psychological study of the uneducated medieval mind. Or perhaps Akram Khan to the helm in a dystopian revenge drama showcasing the inequalities manifest through the privilege of high rank in an unspecified futuristic society.

Agreed. I felt exactly the same and I was very pleasantly surprised. Well done all round.

I couldn’t agree more with everything that has already been said about last night’s magical performance. Having been blown away by the previous Hayward/Campbell Giselle, I couldn’t let this one get away and I am so glad that I didn’t. There is no question that Francesca and Alex are both consummate actors which, of course, added to the feeling that we were watching something that was actually happening in front of us rather than just a performance. Extraordinarily, and despite having seen innumerable Giselles over the years, I left last night’s performance as I did their previous performance together, as though this was the first time that I had seen this ballet: a rare sensation and something very special indeed. Francesca inhabits the stage with a total lack of affectation with, at the same time, every inflection of her head, her arms, her body adding to the dramatic heft of the story that is unfolding, and Alex is compelling and believable in whatever role he undertakes. If Francesca’s Giselle is an innocent and trusting ingenue, Alex’s Albrecht is a natural charmer, one who’s little gestures - a caring glance or touch, that extra show of attentiveness that draws and holds - are so hard to resist. And he is fiery too. Giselle didn’t stand a chance. I have to say that this was the most convincing Act 1 that I have ever seen. The plausibility factor of this act, so infrequently drawn with any real element of credibility, is surely what generates the tragedy of Act 2. And how unutterably tragic - and so very believable - Act 2 was. Huge plaudits, then, to Francesca and Alex but also to everyone else on stage. As ever in this run, the corps were extraordinary and absolutely deserved the prolonged applause, both during the performance and at the curtain calls. And having approached the pas de six with some trepidation after earlier criticisms during this run, I thought that last night’s performance was beautifully danced, with all six very well matched.

Matthew Ball seems to have cornered the market in multi-layered cads: Albrecht during this run (I’m looking forward to the screening; his sneering, public school Tybalt just a few weeks back. Are you trying to tell us something, Matthew?

The advantage of the loose bar stool seats over fixed seats, Angela, is, as you'd expect, that you can move and angle the seats. This can help if the people in front of you are obstructing your view, although there are no guarantees; as always, it helps if the people in front are small and do not lean forward or move about too much. And, unlike similarly-priced seats in the amphitheatre, you don't have to worry that moving your seat will obstruct the view of people behind you.

It certainly gives me a panic attack. Forever associated with childbirth of the worst sort. Luckily my eldest was well worth it. 😉

Glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t like Trouble in Tahiti. And equally glad that you loved Phoenix Dance Theatre.

Jenufa is well worth streaming. Not sure how much longer it's up but don't miss it.

I am still unable to listen to the 1812 Overture without reliving the prolonged and painful birth of my eldest, for which the attending nurse, for some bizarre reason, decided that this was the piece of music that would relieve the ordeal. I have never been able to listen to it in the same light since.

Ooh, that's a bit harsh, Maryrosesatonapin!

There is really nothing that I can add to what has already been said so eloquently about last night’s performance. Nunez and Muntagirov were magical, heartbreaking and showed, yet again, that they are one of the truly great partnerships in this wonderful work. I loved Magri’s Myrthe, majestic and immovable but notably cowed by the unquestionable bond of love between this Giselle and Albrecht. Cowley and Storm-Jensen were well-matched and compelling lieutenants, with Storm-Jensen, always a powerful dancer, having developed her interpretative skills over the Covid lockdown, it seemed, and Lucas B B managed to carve something more than a two-dimensional portrait from the thankless role of Hilarion. The pas de six was beautifullly danced all round, with Melissa Hamilton standing out for the lyricism she brought to her role. And a special mention for the Corps, who totally deserved the spontaneous applause both during the performance and again at the curtain call. An extraordinary performance by everyone on stage.

Was I the only one to see Ballet Black at The Linbury? No matter. I love this company. Always innovative and spontaneous, they are never less than watchable and this double bill was no exception. I’d agree with most of Jan’s review from The Lowry in October, the only point of divergence being what was, to me, the excessive use of the spoken word, particularly in the Tucket piece, and I can understand why the poems of Adrienne Rich were used but the moving power of the words necessarily distracted from both the beauty of the Bieber score and, more particularly, the haunting eloquence of the movement which, frankly, more than spoke for itself. The second work, by Mthuthuzeli November, was a piece of sheer, unabashed enjoyment, a happy confluence of words, music and joyfully executed dance. As I have come to expect from Ballet Black, this was an original, beautifully danced and highly satisfying programme, my only reservation being that I would love to see Then or Now without the spoken narrative.

Entirely from the perspective of my personal reaction to the said performances, Gerhaher’s Germont left me with the oddest sensation of feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Geoff’s aside of “… sad to say” sums up my reaction, regretfully, to most of Domingo’s more recent performances.

I wouldn’t argue with that list in the least, Lizzie.

I'd go for the men's frock coats. Gorgeous.

Particularly as the mayor is so intent on deterring anyone from driving in to London

And very wide hairstyles are equally frustrating. Plus people in the front row of the amphitheatre who lean on their elbows and/or constantly play with their hair.

To my mind, Melissa Hamilton is a wonderfully empathetic dancer and she has a real connection with the audience but tends to fall down a little in roles that demand pure classical technique and little emotional projection. I don't believe that her skills are restricted to dramatic, narrative roles as I found her loved her performance in the second movement of Concerto and I agree that she is woefully underused in the roles that suit her.

I’d agree with that, Geoff, particularly as Timmie wants to experience the big names, but there are, of course, those who prefer the alternative Abigaille of Liudmyla Monastyrska.

i see you’ve been taking to heart the instructions given by the unnamed US company mentioned in A Dance Writer’s Fears, Jenny. I am a little concerned, however, about the erasure of the dancers and contributors you failed to mention! 😜