standingticket

Not sure if a cast change email has been sent yet but Steven McRae and Anna Rose O’Sullivan have just posted on instagram that Anna Rose will replace Akane Takada in her scheduled performances of Swan Lake.

Thanks everyone. I will pay for the next one! (Although I don't feel too guilty - I donated the cost of all the tickets I had bought, so have more than payed for my enjoyment of Vadim's solo!)

Can I ask whether the clip that the ROH has released is essentially the whole solo? I was going to pay to watch (was busy on Saturday) in retrospect, but mostly for the ballet, so if there isn't any more I will make do with re-watching the clip again and again. So sublime.

I don't think so unfortunately - I have a Tivo like thing that enables me to record and store from tv (like the good old days of VCR!). I feel bad for mentioning it now, sorry!

The email I received said they had cancelled all performances until 19th April (apologies if this is duplicating information posted elsewhere). I suspect it will last longer than that. I am particularly sad to miss Francesa Hayward and Cesar Corrales debuting in SL, but also those of Magri and Sambe. Fortunately I have Nunez and Muntagirov's filmed performance from when it was on iPlayer last Christmas, so will have to satisfy myself with that.

Can I ask if Benno has been wearing dark leggings in act III in other performances this run so far? Ben Ella was tonight, and it is a definite improvement on the Nutcracker prince costume/cream leggings of the last run On a different note, I thought Reece Clarke gave a fabulous debut tonight, and he was also the first person to make the new ending moving for me. It wasn't rushed and the impact was much greater. Still in the last act, I do miss the exhilarating rush of swans to defeat Von Rothbart that comes with that big major sweep of music in act 4. It never failed to give me goosebumps in the Dowell production, and although there is still a similar entrance of the corps, it feels diluted somehow. Elsewhere, Isabella Gasparini danced all 4 acts as Siegfried's sister and a cygnet, and was wonderful. Melissa Hamilton stood out among the princesses, and Hay and O'sullivan were vivaciously wonderful in the Neopolitan dance. And Osipova's foettes were incredible. Took me right back to the first time I saw her dance with the Bolshoi.

Thanks. I only felt the need to clarify, as Xandra's response read as though she thought I had been critical of Naghdi appear nervous in the whole first act, when I mainly meant the mirror pd2. I felt she looked a bit nervous before that too, but as you have all pointed out (and I agree) that is entirely in keeping with the story/characterisation.

I agree entirely with this and thought her characterisation worked very well for the rest of acts 1+2. But as the mirror pd2 is a dream, I don't think Tatiana should seem 'nervous' or awkward there, but rather heart-in-mouth, breathless, swept away. I'm also not saying that I think Naghdi didn't achieve this, but just that in contrast to the rest of her performance, and perhaps to others I have seen dance this in the past (Laura Morera was the person who kept coming to mind) I didn't 'feel' it as much. Maybe it was being at the back of the amphitheatre, I don't know. But it is interesting to discuss and to hear different views

It was my first Onegin of the run last night and I'm very happy it was - a great performance all round. I felt that Naghdi seemed quite nervous in Act I, and perhaps most noticeably in the bedroom/mirror pd2 when I felt like she had too much tension in her body and it seemed a bit 'placed'. However, by Act II and very definitely by Act III she was completely engrossing. I actually particularly enjoyed her pd2 with Gremin in Act III, which i felt conveyed an unusual emotional complexity - what had gone before had not been erased, there was sorrow in her serenity. And obviously the final pd2 blew everyone away with its intensity, and at least from the amphitheatre, Naghdi appeared to be sobbing when she and Bonelli took their bow immediately after curtain down. I think, as others have suggested, she will get even better in this role (perhaps particularly at the mirror pd2) in future performance, with debut nerves out of the way. I thought Anna Rose O'Sullivan was marvellous, as ever - it's the little details she adds to her characterisation alongside her impeccable dancing that make all the difference. In the earlier acts I found myself being somewhat more cross at Onegin's interference with Olga and Lensky's relationship (which Act I set up so beautifully) than at his treatment of Tatiana. I probably agree with those who have suggested that Sissens will evolve his portrayal of Lensky, as it was a bit one dimensional in places. However, I thought that his solo before the duel was wonderful, and made me look forward to the day when he gets to perform Des Grieux... Anyway, a wonderful night watching three stunning debuts alongside a masterful Onegin from Bonelli.

I have two tickets for 16th May (Nunez and Muntagirov) but in the amphitheatre (seats V64/V65) which I am also looking to swap for any other Nunez/Muntagirov performance as I can no longer make this date. I would happily swap for your SCS tickets Alice-Faye, but not sure if you would want amphitheatre tickets? Or any other takers?! I'm desperate to see Nunez and Muntagirov live, having missed them last time round due to being abroad, and all their performances are of course completely sold out!

For me it has to be Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe's Romeo and Juliet - heart stopping/breaking. Also Sambe's Mercutio, which was incredible Can't wait to see their Coppelia on the 3rd!

Delighted by O'sullivan and padjak's promotions in particular. I am not surprised by Acri's promotion in that he frequently dances roles at first soloist level, and does so with considerable skill and artistry. Even if some may struggle to see him as a principal, surely that shouldn't deny him promotion to the rank he is very clearly dancing at?

Bit late posting but I was there on Wednesday and really enjoyed Month in the Country. I thought there was really palpable chemistry between the three leads, and perhaps particularly between Muntagirov and O'sullivan. Some lovely subtle touches, brushing the fabric of Vera's skirt, tender placement of hands, and a good mix of giddy and intense from Anna Rose. Thought Cuthbertson brought a great strength of feeling to the role too

This happened to the man next to me during my first ever Month on Wednesday. So irritating/uncomfortable but obviously also no one's fault! But does make me wonder if they were using amplification for the piano and this was causing difficulties for hearing aids generally, since the offending device had been fine for the Firebird (on Wednesday at least)

Perhaps this is the wrong place to post this, but the RB announced yesterday that Nehemiah Kish will retire at the end of the season.