Fonty

Does she watch all those shopping channels, Lisa? Next time she rings, tell her you have internet problems and you are unable to get on line. And your provider has said it may take weeks to fix. :smile:

Very interesting.

Goodness, not sure I would want to sit in a theatre with ushers shining lasers in all directions. Most distracting!

Thanks for that, Floss. I am interested to know in what way they were influenced by seeing Pavlova dance. I know that she made enormous impact on everyone who saw her, but the impression I get from reading about her performances is that her repertoire was quite small. For some reason, I don't associate her in my mind with great and imaginative choreography. However, I freely admit that the only piece I know that she danced is the Dying Swan. On a different issue, I notice that there are several worldwide choreographic competitions, but they all seem to be for contemporary dance. Is there a world famous competition for new classical ballet choreography?

Same here, Sim. As far as I am concerned, BRB is a superb company, and I simply cannot believe that they would give a performance that was anything other than wonderful. Such a pity I can't see their R & J, but never mind. I am enjoying it second hand via this forum.

Lisa, that sounds terrible. I used to quite like the old Abbey Nat, and I suspect most of the very nice and very helpful staff in my local branch are left over from that company. But Santander seem to make no effort at all, and when trying to talk to someone on the phone it really is a complete lottery as to whether I get my problem solved.

How annoying for you, Janet. Although, if you put Box Offices in Room 101, none of us will be able to buy tickets for any show, ever again, will we? Perhaps, technically speaking, it should be managers who refuse to come to the telephone? Which brings me smoothly on to my next contender. SANTANDER BANK. I am pretty certain they must already be languishing in the depths, but dealing with them on the phone takes endurance to a whole new level. Yesterday I discovered, to my horror, that my credit card had expired at the end of January. Shows how often I use it! However, I am going to Prague next weekend, and the friend I am travelling with doesn't have any credit cards at all. So I rang up, and spoke to a lady who assured me my replacement card had been delivered in December. When I said I hadn't received it, she said she would cancel it. Fine, I said, when can I expect the replacement? This is where it all started to go very, very wrong. My partner originally applied for the Santander Zero credit card for both of us, which means you can use it abroad with no fees. Great, as we travel a lot, However, for reasons best known to himself, he applied for a main credit card for himself, and an extra card for me. No idea why he did that. He claims he thought it would be easier to apply that way. Anyway, his card is registered to our home address, but I have all my Santander accounts registered to my office address, which is where I prefer to keep them. This has not caused any problems at all in the past. However, the lady insisted that she could not send my new credit card to my office address, "because it is not the same address as the main credit card holder." No amount of my pointing out that all my previous cards had gone to that address, including the missing replacement sent out in December. She would not budge. I asked repeatedly to speak to a senior manager, but in spite of being put on hold for minutes at a time, I just got the same lady, who said, "They will tell you the same thing." After an eternity of listening to VERY LOUD music, I asked if I could apply for a new solo credit card. After more discussion with an out of earshot manager, and more minutes of VERY LOUD music, they agreed to put me through to a new section. Where the lady there told me I could not have a new Zero card, as it had been axed last year. I asked rather sharply why I had not been informed when my previous card had expired. She asked me what I meant, and I had to explain the whole saga again. Only to find that people can have their cards registered to whatever address they like, providing they give proof of ID, and she had no idea why the previous lady had told me otherwise. Another eternity of VERY LOUD music, and I finally got through to a very nice lady who told me my new card would be delivered in the next 5 - 7 working days. It only took one hour and 10 minutes. Do you ever get that feeling you are stuck in an infinite loop sometimes?

I find that unbelievable, considering she has been a Principal for 10 years.

I thought 1984 was one of those books that was always read in schools!. And of course there are progammes like Big Brother and Room 101 that directly link up to it. Not sure if it has been mentioned elsewhere, but it will be on the BBC iPlayer for the next month for those like me who missed it.

I'm amazed she hasn't got one already. Edited to add that I assume she hasn't got one somewhere else. My brother lives near Reigate, so I pass her statue frequently.

What happened to Osipova? That poor lady does seem to be most unfortunate. Regarding Mrythe, I was lucky enough to see Nunez in the role, and she was wonderful. It must have been a long time ago, though.

Perhaps we could start off by naming some of the current great choreographers of classical ballet. If youngsters are to learn, they have to learn from those who are already masters of the craft.

Has anyone else had to live with the fact that one of their neighbours appears to be barking mad? I own one of three flats in a converted house in north London. I have owned it for many years, and have always got on extremely well with all the previous owners. The flats don't change hands that often, but about 2 years ago the ground floor flat was sold to a woman with two teenage sons. Anyway, this woman keeps sending letters addressed to The Management Company (no name) complaining about various issues. I have pointed out to her that the owners of all three flats constitute the management company, and if there is a problem then to email us all and discuss it. But no, the letters keep coming. They always contain some sort of legal gobbledegook about various parts of the leases, followed by complaints such as the communal parts are dirty, and ending up with a general rant about how her statutory rights are being infringed. They really are quite rude, and getting progressively worse. The only reason I open them is because I am the Company Secretary, and automatically open letters addressed to the company. I am starting to wonder if the woman is mentally ill. I don't like to point out to her that by sending these things she is effectively talking to herself!

Was the Anna-Nicole Smith opera well received? I very rarely go to the opera, but when I did go to the ENO, I thought that the words didn't quite fit the music properly, and thought it was probably best to hear them in the language in which the opera was originally created. Incidentally, I wouldn't say that the Coliseum is located in a scruffy side street. It is in St Martin's Lane, just off Trafalgar Square! It gets scruffy because of the amount of tourists in the area.

Goodness. With all those names, it could have been the Ballet of the Far East!

Ah, ok, thanks for that. Having read a rough outline of the Davis story, it would appear that Amelie was happy with the portrait, and it was actually her mother who created all the fuss about it. I am surprised that the mother wasn't given a more definitive role in the proceedings, possibly even a dancing role, rather than a character one. As other people have said, this is a great story, and has the makings of a wonderfully dramatic ballet. Maybe he just got the mix of characters wrong?

That blonde wig doesn't seem to be doing Sukama any favours at all! Are all the Titanias saddled with it? I believe Antoinette Sibley, the original Titania, was fair haired in real life, so a light coloured wig wouldn't look out of place on her, but I don't think Shakespeare described Titania as blonde, did he? Even if he did, wouldn't a long wig in the dancer's natural colouring look more appropriate? Not to mention a lot more flattering.

Goodness, that sounds fascinating. When was the last time it was done?

Apologies for bringing the thread back on topic, I just wanted to ask if Amelie Gautreau's mother features in the production much/at all? I read swiftly back through the reviews, but I can't quite get the full picture of who does and doesn't feature on the stage, apart from the female lead and the 3 male parts.

I thought it was quite unusual to produce two different versions of the same ballet in the same season. Certainly a brave move, but will it be a financially rewarding one? Hopefully it will, but who knows.

Thanks John. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be in the UK in May.

I knew there would be one person who starts early!

Goodness, all these people who love decluttering. Would any of you mind stepping round to my messy house and declutter it for me? I am one of those people who keep everything on the grounds that one day it might come in useful!

12.30 does seem exceptionally early for a matinee. And it means people come out of the theatre at a slightly odd time. Too late for lunch, too early for drinking (well, for me, anyway!)

Ah, so full blown nudes are fine, but a dress with a slipping strap is considered too sexy. I will never understand the world of art, never!