penelopesimpson

All I can see him down for this season is three performances of Raven Girl.  What is going on?

Although I agree RuthE that we will all hopefully get the opportunity to see these two young dancers in the future I also believe that something extra special happens sometimes just at particular performances and this could well be one of those by the sound of it.

 

The obvious magic that happened at this performance may never be entirely recaptured so cherish the memories the lucky ones who were there......it may be a long time before it happens again!!

I know how the poster above felt when she said she didn't want to see any other ballet immediately ......just let it all sink in ....usually a true sign that it was indeed a very special performance ......and I wish I could have been there!

Beautifully put.  I have experienced it just 3 times:

Altynai Asymuritova and Farouk Ruzimatof in Bayadere

Cojocaru and Kobborg in Manon

and, most outstanding of all:

Edward Watson first night of Mayerling in 2013.  One of the greatest nights of my life.  Unbelievable.  Anybody else there?

I agree there is some outstanding talent in the company and especially after watching class on Thursday I personally would be more than happy to go and watch homegrown dancers. Interestingly I saw Osipova and Hayward together in Month in a Country and I felt Hayward danced her off the stage in many ways! Though I love Osipovas flair.

The first time I saw Hayward and I said that here was the successor to Cojocaru.  I haven't seen Naghdi yet and am deeply envious of those who went to her performance of R&J

Good Point.  There is a resistance against more abstract works in the audience generally so I assume "friends" are no different. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. 

You may be right but I adore new work and book tickets when I can.  However, Raven Girl - no way am I seeing that again!  Loved the Hofesh Schechter, Woolf Works and Winter's Tale.

Am annoyed with myself I didn't book Naghdi and (later in the run) Hayward. New blood and new partnerships are key.

Me too.  'Wasted' my money on Macrae and Salenko who were terrific but left me unmoved.

  I still hope to see someone else who makes me forget that they are dancing. 

Edward Watson

Alina Cojocaru

Is the lower price for a matinee performance? Matinee performances can be cheaper.

No.  It's on every performance and its now £110.  A trifle irritating.

Am I seeing things or has the price of R&J tickets been reduced?  I paid £127 for my Stalls Circle seat and see that they are now on sale for £115.  Can anyone help?

It wasn't intended as an insult, I just wondered why you put yourself through going to ROH, as you don't seem to enjoy the performances very much, and as a result resent paying the high prices for good seats. I go to a lot of performances as a punter (in the cheap spots), and not just to rehearsals by the way. I have opinions which widely differ from yours and Ms Penelopesimpson, but don't present them as 'facts' is all. I also feel inclined to defend my favourite dancers, especially when, in my opinion, their performance did not merit a bashing, or indeed when I thought they were rather good. Would you not do the same?

'bashing?'  Is that how you define expressing an opinion?  Odd!  Was absolutely no bashing involved at all, indeed have been at pains to stress the positives whilst giving my opinion.

I object to your rude comment, Dave. I feel that your work, which gives you a great deal of access to (and therefore allows familiarity with) the dancers and to rehearsals at the ROH, has rather coloured your views. You seem to take it personally when anyone says anything less than enthusiastic about your favourite dancers and, now, the value for money aspect of a performances. I think that you're a bit 'close to the action' to be able to appreciate (or respect) the views of a fully paying audience member who has no particular loyalty or allegiance to the dancers that s/he is seeing. You remind me of a father who won't hear any criticisms of his children.

Well said, Aileen.  It will be a sad thing is people are not allowed to express their opinions of what they paid to see because people who feel they know better disapprove.  As you so aptly say, this is a discussion forum NOT a fan site.

We are all free to express our likes and dislikes and that is what has made this forum so fascinating and educational.  I winced when I saw that guy's comment which was rude.  I rarely leave before the end of the performance - the only time for me was Don Quixote which I found boring in the extreme and full of 'now we will do some folk dancing moments.' However, I didn't comment on it because I felt I hadn't seen it through.

The reviews for R&J are not that good and some posters seem to have a hard time accepting that.  Whilst I frequent disagree with the critics, this time around I think they are spot on. There is nothing wrong with the R&J I saw, it just wasn't great.  

Should have added that most reviewers seem to share my opinion that the cast never catches fire.  The Guardian have it right, for me.  I think Kevin O'Hare made a bad mistake with Macrae and also Lamb.

Yes, the whole cast was disappointing. All the men were rather bland and they needed to project much more to the upper reaches of the House. Speaking of which, my mood was not improved by paying so much (rather more than £50, actually) to sit in a cramped seat in the amphitheatre miles from the action. For the same amount of money one can purchase a great stalls ticket at Sadler's Wells (to see ballet with a live orchestra) and have enough left over to buy a couple of glasses of wine, a programme and a copy of Dancing Times. I'm going to have to be much more selective about performances at the RB in the future as the full length ones are becoming prohibitively expensive if the prices for R&J are anything to go by.

So, not just me then.  I had a great night on Thursday and enjoyed it but that was it.  There was no touching of the emotional heartstrings and I remain firmly of the opinion that Macrae is not Romeo.

As for mood, well I was feeling good that night so I'm not going to accept the blame!  However, I do agree that as ticket prices become stratospheric, one expects more and more.  I paid £127 for Stalls Circle and its a big ask.  I know losing Pennefather and then Osipova left RB with a big hole, but I don't think Macrae was the man to bridge the gap.  Why on earth didn't they call for Watson?

I have a ticket for Muntagirov and Lamb on Thursday but am going to return it and put the money towards something in the Winter season.

Does anyone have any views on McRae/Salenko from last night???  I'm not seeing them until later in the run so would be interested to know what people think.

Posted on previous page.  Basically, did not catch fire for me.  I adore Macrae but not as Romeo; I just don't think he has the acting skills although of course his technique is second to none and he gave a flawless performance.  Salenko was lovely but the partnership just didn't do it for me but I must stress this is a personal opinion with which other more knowlegeable posters may disagree.

Alexander Campbell stole the show and I felt he had everything it takes to be Romeo.  Seeing Muntagirov and Lamb on Thurs so will have a comparison.

Of course I know this Bill; he is also an outstanding Romeo!

Of course I know this Bill; he is also an outstanding Romeo!

Oh wow, didn't know that.  Would so much have preferred him to Macrae.  I wonder why they have given Macrae so many peformances of R&J which surely doesn't use his obvious talents to best effect?

Well, just back from watching Macrae and Salenko.  I suspect my thoughts won't be popular but here they are, anyway.  A strong four-star performance but it did not tug my heartstrings and at times I felt my attention wandering.

High points;  Wonderful ensemble dancing and Alexander Campbell quite breathtakingly dynamic, dominating the stage - surely one to watch.  Hats off too to Bennet Gartside and also all the corps de ballet and the sword fighting was nerve-janglingly realistic.  Salenko fabulous.  I've not seen her before and was initially amazed at the slightness of her stature but she made a wonderful Juliet.

Not so good:  Something wrong with the brass section of the orchestra, particularly in the first Act.  I am not knowlegable enough to pinpoint the problem, but it was noticeable.   

IMPO:  Macrae is not Romeo.  I adore this dancer.  I rush to see him in most things, and have revered him in Woolf Works and A Winter's Tale, but I just don't think he is a romantic lead.  He gave a virtuoso performance (my companion tonight was a ballet novice but still commented on the pinpoint precision of his dancing), but I couldn't detect any emotion and for me he changed not a jot through the performance.  The only time he came to life was in the fatal sword fight but otherwise...  I see that many have praised his partnership with Lamb so it may be that having a different partner threw him off his game but for me, being really picky, it just didn't work.  That it is not to say that it wasn't a wonderful evening - just no cigar.

I am seeing Muntagirov next week so will have better points for comparison but I was disappointed tonight.  I should confess that I am a follower of Ed Watson and I kept wishing he had been dancing the role and bringing all his dramatic physicality to the performance.

Bonelli in the past has played Romeo as a bit of a boy, but that seems entirely appropriate to be honest. I think his acting in the tragic scenes is more convincing than McRae's though.

 

I saw McRae as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty last time round however and he captured the melancholy nature of the Prince's solo beautifully.

Bonelli in the past has played Romeo as a bit of a boy, but that seems entirely appropriate to be honest. I think his acting in the tragic scenes is more convincing than McRae's though.

 

I saw McRae as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty last time round however and he captured the melancholy nature of the Prince's solo beautifully.

Does Edward Watson not do Romeo?  I am disappointed that he appears not to be doing much this season.  My favourite dancer by a long mile but I haven't seen Muntagirov yet - roll on next Thursday.

I can't wait to see Muntagirov's Romeo - (his Colas was my performance of the year last year- that bottles solo....)

He has an elusive quality- "charm". I agree his arabesque is probably more elegant than McRae's. I look forward to seeing and trying to compare from memory.

 

(Whereas for Rhapsody I am really looking forward to McRae as he was fabulous in that-the speed, the quicksilver quality he has.)

In the second act of Woolf Works, Macrae and Osipova just took my breath away with their speed, accuracy and clean lines. It was astonishing.

I couldn't get to the ROH this time so the live broadcast was my only opportunity to see R&J this season. I'm so glad I went. Ore and Darcy worked well together and Darcy seemed to be less nervous and more at ease having a presenting partner.

Ore did make me chuckle when he unwittingly confused Gabriel Prokofiev with an accidental fake handshake. :-)

 

I don't think Lamb and McRae can ever beat my dream team of Cuthbertson and Bonelli in the lead roles, but I was absolutely wowed by Sarah Lamb. Her lines are out of this world and far from being "too sophisticated", she really came across as a wilful teenager, especially in the scenes with Lord Capulet. Incredible acting. The intensity in her eyes was mesmerising.

 

Gary Avis was outstanding as Tybalt, Alexander Campbell was surely born to dance Mercutio - utter perfection - and I was impressed with Tristan Dyer as Benvolio.

 

I would absolutely love to see Lamb and Muntagirov together in this. Very jealous of those who have tickets - please report back!

Very pleased to read your posts and others praising the performance as I have a ticket for next Thursday, Muntagirov and Lamb.  Am also there tomorrow for Salenko and Macrae so will have points of comparison.  I am not a fan of Lamb but the reports seem as if they will prove me wrong and I will be very pleased.

I can't see what all the fuss is about. Everyone has been very respectful about Lamb, acknowledging her technical excellence, but some of us have merely said that she doesn't appeal to us artistically or in certain roles, which is a personal and subjective matter. In contrast, some much more negative, and sometimes rather personal, remarks have been made about Golding, Soares, Acosta, McRae and others which have not attracted much comment. Some dancers just don't appeal to you; few dancers excel across the rep. That's how it is. It's not really for other people to convince us to change our mind about a dancer as we are all entitled to our own opinion.

 

As for Saturday's performance, I accept that it can take a dancer a couple of performances to get into a role and so that performance might not fairly represent what Lamb can bring to the role. Having said that, I personally don't have the time, money or inclination to see the same cast multiple times and an experienced dancer who has danced the role several times before should really be at the top of his/her game right from his/her first performance in a run.

Well said, Aileen.  Would that I had the sort of wallet that allowed me to go to several performances of each ballet so that I could finely judge the nuances of respective performances.  In this context I enjoyed Sarah Lamb in Manon, a role which I thought she was well suited for.  Equally I adored Francesca Hayward who brought a different and to me greater emotional intensity to the part.

Like you, I expect to pay my money and get what I pay for.  If that sounds harsh, well it is a harsh world and taken together with travel (5hrs each way for me) my ballet outings are epics of organisation.  Injuries are terribly sad, not least for the dancer concerned and everybody who cares about ballet will understand that such disappointments are part and parcel of this particular art form.  My argument, if it is an argument, is that having busted a gut and broken the bank to get a ticket to see Osipova and Muntagirov, I am less than thrilled that Juliet is now to be danced by a ballerina I do not especially appreciate and who IMPO is not well suited to this role.  In this context I also made the comment that it would be nice if RB had another dancer with the star quality of Osipova.  That is not in any way to denigrate others, it is merely to state a fact.

Gary Avis has said on Twitter that he is scheduled to be Tybalt with the McRae/Lamb cast only.

Many thanks for that.  I look forward to Thursday's cast

I have to say, I've been finding the tone of this Juliet casting discussion extremely depressing for some time.  I appreciate that some people are extremely disappointed at Osipova being a no-show once again, but the tone of some of these comments is highly disrespectful to dancers they may not even have seen in the role.

 

I'm also - once again - moving this into the more appropriate thread.

Interested to read your comment but non-plussed.  Every time I have mentioned Sarah Lamb I have praised her as a fine dancer with a strong following.  I have then gone on to say that I PERSONALLY do not find her emotionally moving and one or two other contributors have made similar comments.  So that I do not fall foul of the rules could you please clarify in what way I have been disrespectful?  Is it not permitted to give personal opinions or preferences?  Surely the fact that one is able to discuss so many different dancers only demonstrates ones commmitment to ballet and some degree of knowlege.  I have not seen any post that has been in any way disrespectful or even critical; people have simply stated what moves them.

To be honest, I find your post scarily judgmental.

I suspect not, if they're in the first cast.  And why don't you look and see?

I do not know where to find the complete cast list.  Can you help?

Great review for Alexander Campbell and Gary Avis though....

Yes, great fan of Campbell.  There is a wonderful Youtube piece of him tap dancing in Alice that is so appealling.  Anyone know if he and Gary Avis are in Thursdays casts?  Can one get the complete cast list online?

Penelope personally I would hold on to the ticket. I suspect that Lamb and Muntagirov will be somewhat different from Lamb and McRae. Can I ask do you find that the critic of the Telegraph experiences performances in the way that you do? I tend to find that even if I have been to the performance that he is writing about I haven't been to the performance that he is describing.

I will maybe take your advice as I am keen to see Muntagirov in the role.  You may also be right about the critic BUT my problem is that he completely describes how I feel about Lamb.  She is a wonderful dancer but I look for huge emotional involvement of the type Alina Cojocaru gave us in bucketloads.  Ditto Mara Galeazzi and I can see the same quality in Francesca Hayward.  For me neither Nunez nor Lamb have that appeal, particularly Lamb, which is why I tend to avoid her performances.  I come as often as I can afford but with ticket prices now so high, plus trains and taxis, I have to be very specific in booking for particular casts.  Muntagirov has been rehearsing with Hayward so I wish they had given her at least some of the Osipova performances.

Disappointing review in The Telegraph that confirms my fears about Sarah Lamb in this role.  I will be returning my October 1 ticket.  I wish Mr. O'Hare had substituted Hayward and Cuthbertson for the sadly injured Osipova.