Anna C

Claire Calvert is one of my favourite dancers so I’m very pleased to be seeing her.

That’s so kind, John, thank you. Like your Wife, I find ballet life-enhancing and an escape from pain, especially when the marriage of music, choreography and drama all blends so seamlessly and beautifully. It’s one of the reasons I love MacMillan’s choreography so very much; when performed wonderfully by partnerships like Bracewell and Kaneko, Romeo and Juliet are not dancing steps, they’re *being*. I can forget all pain, both physical and emotional, and live every moment with them. It’s an expensive means of pain relief, but definitely my favourite! ☺️

Dawnstar, I’m convinced Bonelli has a portrait in the attic. He never seems to age! He is a wonderful actor though; one of the very best, so I’m sure that helps. I’ve had a couple of days to digest what I saw on Saturday afternoon, so I’ll try to write coherently now, despite only having had one cup of coffee this morning. Firstly, WHY isn’t William Bracewell a Principal. His dancing is beautiful, his landings are light, he’s a superb partner, and a very fine actor already. It seems crazy to me that he hasn’t yet been promoted, and I hope Kevin O’Hare saw both Bracewell’s performances of R&J and rectifies this oversight ASAP. The chemistry between William and Fumi Kaneko is off the charts. I haven’t felt weepy at a studio rehearsal since 2014 (?) when Bonelli and Nuñez rehearsed the final pdd from Manon. Yet watching the balcony scene rehearsal last week on World Ballet Day had me in tears, so an even bigger thank you to the person/s unknown who returned seats for Saturday’s matinée. As soon as the lights dimmed and the beautiful rich sound of the ROH orchestra began, I felt real joy at being back. Wonderful goings-on in the marketplace with lovely acting by the younger artists in the company. A super trio of Harlots was led by the astonishingly versatile Kristen McNally, who was so funny, proudly lifting her skirts to show her leotard “knickers” in order to shock the more prudish members of the Verona streets. Nice to see Ryoichi Hirano onstage as Tybalt but I do prefer him as Paris; his Tybalt was vicious and supercilious but rather one-dimensional, especially when compared to the great and nuanced Tybalts of Gary Avis and Matthew Ball. Hirano did die very well though! Joseph Sissens’ acting skills have really come on since I saw him as Lensky, and he will surely develop further to have even more presence as Benvolio in future. He and Luca Acri were a good team and I felt a good bond between them and Romeo. Christopher Saunders is my favourite Lord Capulet so far so I was pleased to see him perform as quietly terrifyingly as ever. The lovely Nathalie Harrison didn’t quite live up to Christina Arestis’s exceptionally dramatic Lady Capulet; her grief for Tybalt was heartbreakingly sad but without the abject fury shown by Arestis. That said, I thought Harrison more sympathetic and genuinely sad for Juliet, looking reproachfully at her Husband in his treatment of their daughter, but knowing she was powerless to stop him. It was a different but still excellent portrayal and I will very much miss Harrison onstage. Lovely that she got such a huge cheer at the end, with gorgeous flowers. Kaneko and Bracewell - well. What can I say that hasn’t already been said in a better and more comprehensive way by my fellow forum members. These two are very, very special together. Like Cuthbertson and Bonelli, Naghdi and Ball, this is a partnership I hope to see repeated again and again. I had tears rolling down my face during the balcony scene, full-body chills at Fumi simply sitting on the bed - honestly - and actually wept* in Act 3. Juliet’s scream was one of the most moving and heart-rending I’ve ever witnessed. I only had one tiny “criticism” - not really a criticism, but I wished for a little bit more desperation during the bedroom PDD, rather than just deep - almost resigned? - sadness. But that was all that was missing for me in the whole glorious 3 hours. How I wish these two had been filmed so we could relive this exceptional chemistry again and again. * If you know me in person, you will know that I’m usually concentrating so hard on managing my pain at the theatre that I very rarely weep. It should be taken as a huge compliment to the performers when my tears flow. 🤭☺️

Until recently, I had started to get panicky and nauseous after about an hour of mask wearing; especially the FFP2 masks. I’d be fine, then all of a sudden I’d feel that I wasn’t getting enough air, which would make me feel extremely anxious and as if I needed to vomit. I’d have to take my mask off for a minute and breathe deeply until the nausea passed. I have every sympathy with those who are genuinely unable to wear a mask, and I wouldn’t challenge anyone without one - all I can do is what I think is the right thing for me. Like I said earlier, nobody loves wearing a mask. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I suppose I got used to it on my visits to France, where masks are mandatory (no “unless you’re exempt there, everyone wore them). And not just indoors, either; last Autumn in Avignon, masks were mandatory everywhere within the City Walls. I do think some British people are particularly belligerent when it comes to things like mask wearing; there’s a real “why should I?” attitude in some groups of people on social media, mocking people who do wear masks and calling them “sheep”, and so on. They are sometimes, but not always, anti-vaxxers. I often wonder what such people would have done in The Blitz, for example - would they have mocked people who used air raid shelters, and refused to use blackout curtains because they infringed on their “Rights”? They are the people on social media who buy fake sunflower lanyards (for people with hidden disabilities) with “I am exempt from wearing a face covering” cards, just because they object to mask wearing on principle. I’ve seen masks called “muzzles” and “face nappies” - I mean, honestly. I think that’s what Fonty is referring to, and it seems to be peculiar to Brits. I don’t think anyone - even my stubbornly anti-vaxxer brother-in-law - has suddenly become a “bad person”, but the few people who laugh and say “no” in response to requests, the people who mock mask-wearers and call us names - I’d certainly think they were rather immature. I’m quite sure my friends and fellow forum members who choose not to wear masks would never behave in such a way though; likewise I respect their choice. I’m certainly not about to fall out with anyone about it. Anyway - getting back to glasses fogging up, I seem to have found a good combination of anti-fog wipes from the optician (thanks @LinMM) and a silk facemask for use in hot places. Not cheap, but I wore it for the first time at R&J on Saturday, didn’t get the panicky nausea, didn’t get hot, and didn’t breakout in spots the next day. A bit of a revelation!

Hi Kim12 and welcome. If St Albans is do-able then you won’t find a better teacher than Helen Brewer: https://brewerdanceacademy.com/staff Helen, along with the late Mary Schon, taught my daughter most years at the sadly missed Harpenden Summer School, and is such a wonderful teacher. If that’s a bit far, then Tring Park does run evening and weekend classes under the Tring Park Associates umbrella: https://www.tringpark.com/associates-classes-ages-3-19/ TPA is confusingly named Associates when the actual selective Ballet Associate scheme at Tring is called Classical Ballet Academy: https://www.tringpark.com/classical-ballet-academy/ which I can also recommend, but it’s designed to supplement evening/Saturday classes rather than replace them.

My train to London was pretty good; probably 75% wearing masks with the non-wearers very much in the minority. Coming home was not as good. Surprisingly, given that wearing a face covering is a TFL Condition of Carriage on tubes, only around half the adults on my Piccadilly Line tube carriage were wearing them. 😳

I didn’t see anyone maskless put their mask on though. 🙁 Fortunately in my row, all of us were masked. I had the usual short survey today from the ROH: Would I recommend the performance of R&J to a friend (yes, 10/10), would I recommend the ROH in general (yes, 7/10), what did I think of their safety measures (0/10). A cursory bag check at the Piazza entrance, nobody was requesting masks be worn, nobody checked my ticket anywhere. Even from a security POV, that’s bad - they’re more stringent at my small local cinema.

Like “Bravo Man”? ☺️ I can’t help thinking Sleeping Man could have a nice nap at the back of Stalls Circle, rather than in Row H of the stalls! 😂

I’m fully vaccinated but with chronic illnesses and disability, my husband is fully vaccinated but now works in a secondary school, my daughter is fully vaccinated but is now back at uni. We all wear masks. You can still catch and transmit COVID - especially the Delta variant - when fully vaccinated; the idea is you won’t be as severely ill with it and should be able to avoid hospitalisation/death. The best way to stop the spread of COVID is still a combination of vaccination, mask wearing, hand washing/sanitising, social distancing where possible. If we all did all these, we wouldn’t have such dreadfully high case numbers in the UK. For me, the mask wearing part of the equation is out of consideration for others, especially those who *can’t* have the vaccine but don’t want to stay at home for the next few years. So I don’t think it unreasonable to hope that other people might show similar consideration. In many East Asian countries mask wearing is the norm when travelling on public transport, in cities and even when the wearer only has a cold or cough. In the UK you’d think we were all being asked to wear full gas masks 24/7, rather than a soft piece of cloth for a couple of hours, such is the outrage of some people. Nobody loves wearing a mask, but Doctors, Nurses and Dentists seem to tolerate them for 12+ hours at a time, so I can manage it if I want to go to the theatre. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Good grief! Reminds me of last time I saw Manon at the ROH; very expensive stalls seats but the man next to me settled into his seat as the lights dimmed for Act 1, went to sleep and was snoring gently by the time Des Grieux appeared. Perhaps he finds Massenet soothing but I can’t help thinking it was a pricey place for a nap!

If your Opticians are as stringent as ours, that shouldn’t be necessary. Only 3 people in at any one time, screens making mini cubicles between chairs in the waiting area, masks are mandatory, there is fresh air flowing through at all times, and every room is sanitised between patients. You even have to make an appointment to collect glasses at the door. It’s all very reassuring, no matter what time of day you go.

…which is where we differ from France; there it has to be a test administered and reported by a Pharmacist, Nurse or Doctor. The queues outside the Pharmacies were very long, even in September.

France is the same; masks are mandatory indoors in theatres, museums etc (and in summer were obligatory even outdoors at tourist attractions like the Pont St Benézét in Avignon). Everyone must show either the Tous Anti Covid app or proof of vaccination/a negative test taken within 48 hours, plus proof of ID. The app/paper proof wasn’t a requirement at outdoor restaurants/cafés in Provence but I heard of people in Paris having to show it. Masks were also obligatory on public transport and in taxis when we were there. I must admit I felt *much* safer in France than I do in England.

Having lost Robert Webb early, they *could* have a week without a dance-off….whether they will, though, is another matter. 🙁

This is what worries me about seeing Nutcracker at Christmas (assuming the Government hasn’t been forced to bring back restrictions by then). For R&J and Giselle I’m in Stalls, either on an aisle or at the SC end of a row, with my Husband next to me. We’ll both wear masks so I’m reasonably comfortable. For Nutcracker though, dd and I are in Stalls Circle, and should we get a non-masked cougher nearby there are not many places for airborne germs/virus particles to go. If things at the ROH are still this lackadaisical in late December, I may rethink whether we go. 😔