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alison

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Everything posted by alison

  1. alison
    It's standard to film a previous version as backup: I can't imagine what a "different purpose" might be. And if they don't have any film of the correct partnership available they do sometimes take footage from the earlier recording to illustrate some of the pre-performance items.
  2. alison
    Don't know why, but I was under the impression McRae wasn't available at the beginning of the season ... That still leaves some speculation as to R&J casting unanswered, then ...
  3. alison
    Well, in all fairness, having suffered from the need to be "re-seated" myself, I would say that if time is pressing the ushers may spot an unoccupied seat and ask you to sit in it while they sort out something more permanent. The whole of the couple of minutes it took to change the scenery between Acts I and II last night seemed to be taken up entirely with getting latecomers to their seats - and that after what I'd have thought would be a record number of people arriving after 7.30 and being shown to their seats anyway! Incidentally, can someone who had a cast sheet please tell me who the two Big Swans in Act IV were? (Do I gather there was no budging on the cast sheets this week, unlike with La Sylphide? I'm sure there were just as many balletomanes catching different casts as there were for that one. How did you manage?)
  4. alison
    Well, they've only been back at work 3 days, so perhaps it's a bit early yet.
  5. alison
    You have to blame Chopin for the latter part
  6. alison
    Perhaps he is? After all, before he became Director he was in New York, discovered from Ratmansky's people that he had a slot available in the diary and decided to grab him, on the assumption that whoever the new Director was s/he would be glad to have a Ratmansky piece. It could well be that he wants Ratmansky back, but has to wait because the man is, deservedly, so popular.
  7. alison

    Room 101

    alison replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    People with babies who think that mini prams count as "buggies" for the purpose of travelling on buses! I know a lot of people already take the mick with the definition of "buggy" as it is, given some of the miniature tanks I see them trying to squeeze onto public transport, but this was ridiculous. She spent quite a long time trying to manoeuvre the pram into the wheelchair space, which was already occupied by one buggy, only to get off at the next stop! Transport for London's rules are quite clear: a "buggy" must be able to be folded in case the bus is busy and/or the space is required by a wheelchair. If you expect to be travelling on buses a lot, you buy one which complies with the regulations. Full stop. Or is that too much to ask?
  8. alison

    Room 101

    alison replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    Really?! They shouldn't be doing that: there is still a signature option on all cards, for people who may have difficulty remembering a PIN for whatever reason. But I think if you delve into it there are a lot of security holes in the chip & PIN system too.
  9. alison
    Aha. Thank you, Jane.
  10. alison

    Room 101

    alison replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    That's poor. My bank claims to get you a new card in 2 days - but perhaps that's debit cards only? As for "how", let me count the ways ... Multiple online scams, user error, "skimming" scams in restaurants ... About 10 years ago I got clobbered a couple of times in a restaurant I used to use quite frequently when going to the Coli/ROH. I didn't realise what was happening the first time, had suspicions but nothing more the second. The third time, I actually pretty much baited a trap for them by carefully using the replacement card which I'd barely used, and that one got compromised as well. Then a friend and I went there - I was paying cash only by now - and I warned her about using a credit card, and told her my suspicions. She said she barely ever used the card, so we'd know who it was if anything happened. Sure enough ... I guess the fraud squad must have had ample ammunition by then, or possibly someone in management found out, or something. I've been back there numerous times in the last 10 years, and thus far haven't had another problem. The advent of at-the-table chip & PIN machines certainly helped, and so did my keeping an eagle eye on my card any time it was taken away from my table.
  11. alison
    Oh dear. It's a Sunday, isn't it? Hoping a suitable theatre which is "dark" that day can be found.
  12. alison
    Interesting. To what extent is that because it's (based on?) the old Kirov production - or have they changed it since last time I saw it? That's what I always complain about with the Mariinsky Swan Lake.
  13. alison
    Oh, was that who he danced Romeo with? I never knew that - slightly before my time. Yes, almost certainly. Cass was very new to the company, I believe - maybe only a year or so in?
  14. alison
    Oh well, more or less the same thing, then - thanks. Except of course that Romeo is physically more demanding than Juliet, so possibly having the First Artist being the male might be more difficult.
  15. alison
    What were Sarah Wildor and Michael Nunn when they made their R&J debuts?
  16. alison
    I think that is almost as unfair on Pennefather (and quite a lot of balletomanes, for that matter) as some of the earlier posts have been on Golding. I'd have said that "love to hate" was way too strong for the way RB-goers of my acquaintance feel about him. And with regard to these "single" performances: how many of them are genuinely that, I wonder, or is it just that they are cast in other performances which we either don't know about or can't see the casting for?
  17. alison
    One of which clashes with one of the only two performances of La Bayadere.
  18. alison
    I never expected to see a dancer's death being the subject of a piece in the Church Times . I've been regretting more than ever this week that none of his performances, and particularly his Swan/Stranger, have been committed to film (that I know of, anyway).
  19. alison
    Such a shame that they happen to clash with the Muntagirov Swan Lakes at the Coliseum: that must surely reduce their potential audience.
  20. alison
  21. alison

    Stage Water

    alison replied to meadowblythe's topic in Not Dance

    I believe sand is used in some cases - perhaps mainly for downpours? Also believe (courtesy of my old conjuring book!) that sodium silicate (aka waterglass) can be used to stop water wetting in certain circumstances, but imagine that would be costly in bulk - if it works.
  22. alison
    Option 1 would suit me nicely - depending on circumstances. 2) I'm not so sure about: i) this will be Golding's debut as Romeo, won't it? And don't they have an "invisible" performance somewhere which might interfere with a change in rehearsals? The Bonelli option does have the disadvantage that he's done a live relay of Romeo before. Like it or not, I'm sure some people will have done. Just because most of us on here are keen balletgoers and are aware of Hayward's talent, there are some people who won't even have heard of her, whereas they may have seen Golding in a previous lead or broadcast, and think they would like to see him again. ^ This. I would like to point out, once again, that the AUP requires highly critical postings to be made in the real name of the poster, not ... ah ... incognito. Some of the postings above certainly qualify. It seems to me that would be a fairer option. History shows that the company has suffered because of this before - whether affecting home-grown dancers or not. Not that I necessarily regret the "importing" of any particular dancers, but it has certainly slowed the development, or pace thereof, of other dancers in the past.
  23. alison
    They used to filter them into both standing areas - dress circle and balcony - and as you said, it worked well. I think it must have been for Cinderella that people were being let in at several different times - unless it was for the Guillem performance I was at. They were hardly quiet about it.
  24. alison
    Just bumping this: it makes life so much easier for everyone if things are tagged!
  25. alison
    Right, it's done, although quite frankly it's been a real headache to do. We don't appear to have an autumn casting thread (or if we do, I couldn't find it), so this one seems the most appropriate.
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