alison

Yes you can! By "somebody", do you Somebody in authority, who can actually make changes to this? Because those "somebodies" of us who have to sit on the left-hand side most certainly notice when we can't see what the boys are doing. I, too, thought that Tybalt's corpse used to be lying there, but likewise I couldn't be sure I wasn't confusing it with a different production. I think I've worked out over the years that various Juliets just pick up whichever dagger happens to be more convenient (especially if they can't see where Romeo's has landed!). I used to get very worried when I saw them picking up what I thought was the wrong one, but I guess both are springloaded, so it shouldn't matter too much. I always try to remind myself not to sit on the left for R&J, but rarely remember. Even so, they *really* shouldn't be so far behind the proscenium arch that they can't be seen from amphi left, because what about all the people sitting in the slips, and the equivalent points in the tiers below?

I don't have a phobia about buttons: just a strong dislike of them. You'll rarely see me wearing anything with buttons, and if I do it will almost certainly be something I can just pull over my head/wrists without having to bother about doing up and undoing the things. I blame it on my mum nagging me to do my cardi up when I was young

By clicking the "Edit" button at bottom right of your post. Within 30 minutes of posting, I think.

I'm glad you managed to enjoy the production, SBF, and thank you for posting about it so quickly. What a shame about the audience reaction, though - although given how over-stuffed the Nureyev version is I can understand from what I've heard of the Ratmansky that the difference must have been disconcerting to many audience members. Sounds as though Tissi is one to watch out for ...

That was my recollection, too (although it's a long time since I read it) - but in the ballet there's no indication that she knows that Romeo sneaked back to spend his wedding night with his bride, is there?

There is, of course, the Paris Opera Ballet recording of the Nureyev version (ENB's), too. That production wouldn't be my personal choice, but I thought I should mention it.

Yes.

Well, this is fascinating - and really quite unexpected. I wasn't feeling particularly well last night, so suspect that may have coloured my judgement, so will wait until I've seen them again to assess more. I'm afraid that - having already missed my last train-without-a-major-detour because of the ROH's unusual decision to start the performance at 7.30 for once - I did make a fairly quick exit at the end to make sure I didn't miss the next train on a different line as well, and the applause and cheers I heard as I made my way down from the gods seemed extremely vociferous and very long-lasting, so I guess many people must have liked it! Yes, I reflected that Mercutio is a role which fits him pretty much like a glove. Do we know that Muntagirov had definitely been rehearsing with Osipova until recently? I'd assumed that they'd known she was injured fairly early on, and that he'd done virtually all his rehearsing with a different Juliet. And, looking at Lamb last night, I was very much aware that she'd had one change of scheduled partner, and one takeover of a cast in which she wasn't originally supposed to be dancing, and 3 performances all within 1 week. It must have made it very difficult to fit in sufficient rehearsal with both, especially since she's also heavily involved in the forthcoming mixed bill, and I would assume that the cast for live broadcast would have been given priority. I certainly got more out of her Juliet when I saw it on the big screen some years ago than I had from the amphi a couple of years prior to that. Last night I do think I was too far back in the amphi, though. And I thought the strings sounded oddly fuzzy last night. I think if you read the relevant bit of the play her line of thinking becomes clear ... Or maybe she thinks (in the ballet, at least) the marriage hasn't actually been consummated and could be set aside?

DQF, I said pretty much the same thing about Cinderella (another Prokofiev score!) a few years ago - I think it must have been on the old site, because I can't find it on here. Obviously it's not an anniversary that people are going to allow to pass by - and wasn't the Nureyev version created in 1975? If so, it's celebrating an anniversary too. Given that only a very small handful of balletomanes are actually going to bother going abroad to watch ballets, though, I can't see that we can complain too much about companies in different foreign countries deciding to schedule it.

Yes, I really had expected the RB to have announced Mercutio and Tybalt at least, by now. Preferably Benvolio and Paris, too.

With those of us who are keen balletgoers, of course, we might want to ensure that we have tickets for the range of dancers we want to see, rather than, say, ending up with the same couple 3 times.

I do sometimes wonder if various companies have not cast on the basis of hair colour, though ... Bill, I'm very glad to see that your full-stop key is still working. I was starting to wonder

Drat. Gittens and Singleton are the ones I saw last time: I was hoping to have a look at someone new. Serves me right for booking before the casting comes out.

Or hang on, are we at the Lowry still?

Hang on, there was a matinee yesterday?! How did I manage to miss that? Curses. I thought the only mid-weekers were next Wednesday and the following Tuesday

End seats in the second circle should generally be fine, although the ones in rows A-D have various levels of viewing restriction (I'd avoid A1 and A33 like the plague)

I remember actually borrowing a critic's cast sheet to have a look at some years ago. I think it just contains the basic updated casting information including those cast changes - plus maybe the dancers' real names - so that they can be sure they're crediting the right people. It wasn't a "professional" cast sheet as I'm used to finding with any of the usual ballet companies. As for what they're performing, when I don't buy Trocks programmes (which is quite often) I just grab the flyer. That tells you what they're performing. And I see the programmes don't tell you everyone who's dancing anyway, just the leading soloists, often, so if you wanted to cross-reference the supporting dancers with their photos you'd still need the programme. It's not really 3 programmes, though, because the touring one is a combination of what they've been showing at the Peacock: I think it's Swan Lake, Patterns in Space, Go for Barocco and Don Q, presumably plus someone executing the Dying Swan. Based on what I've seen so far, I can highly recommend it! Well, getting on to the performance, despite unfortunately having to forgo the birthday meal beforehand that we'd arranged, my friend and I still very much enjoyed the Trocks. The new Don Q is really great - it may be the best thing they've ever done! I was disappointed that Yekaterina Verbosovich didn't appear in either of the previous two thirds of the programme, but soon understood why - they really have crammed it full of Kitri's solos etc. I came very close to giving them a standing ovation at the end. I'd still like to see them bring back their Giselle, though ...

But at least I was pleased to see that he's dropped the campness of his early performances - which quite frankly put me off so much that I avoided him in the role for several years. He does indeed do Romeo. Why he isn't dancing it this year, and whose decision that was, is anyone's guess.

They've always done that, Sim. As they say, the basic casting is in the programme, and zen zey announce ze cast changes before the performance begins. Zere are alvays changes.

Talking of which, I'm intermittently struggling through Catch-22. It sounds as though there are a fair few similarities between them.

I believe Post Office Broadband are pretty cheap - but I actually haven't looked at their prices for ages. Is it Plusnet that gets recommended? I'm on mobile, so am not really the best person to be giving advice

:facepalm: I haven't totally got used to the idea of Muntagirov being a member of the RB

I've never heard of that award before: does it date from royal times, or something? Either way, congratulations to all the dancers.

Unfortunately I'm not: I only buy it as and when there's enough of interest in it for me. Yes, but it's very patchy. My local one doesn't stock it, which means a special trip to somewhere else before it's run out of stock, which can happen pretty early in the month.

Except they couldn't: I believe there was some problem and the screening was cancelled? Yes, Sunday repeats are all very well - I went to a couple last season, partly because they were rather more affordable. Unfortunately, my local has wised up to this and now seems to be selling them at the same price as the live relay, which I think is a bit of a cheek, given that they're probably replaying it from a DVD or something by then rather than having to receive a live satellite broadcast. I doubt it. Anybody? Did anyone try Wimbledon Odeon? I think I was looking at them last year for either RB or Bolshoi, and was shocked by how high the prices had suddenly got. Picturehouses give good discounts if you're a member. Am wracking my brains to think where Romeo does entrechats. Can anyone help? Yes, they were very together - one of the best I've seen, certainly. It does help when all 3 are of similar height/build, doesn't it?