Shade

Given the current political situation will any of the Russian dancers be able to travel to London I wonder

Thanks Jane - I am assuming so as the food is disappearing. Great to hear about your juvenile hog - ours is a bit of a bruiser!

I have a hedgehog in the garden whom I feed. I hope he’s taking shelter from the storm🦔

Great news - I will be going.

That’s quite a shocker if I recall correctly.

Thanks Pas de Quatre for clarifying re the fouettés. I was sitting quite centrally and I could see that Hirata moved towards the front of the stage but she then appeared to travel in a circle whilst fouettéing. I did love the vision scene but agree the stage was a bit cramped. Thoroughly recommend this BRB production.

Queen of the Dryads was Yijing Zhang. yes Alison I agree about Yap - super attitude. Lots of cape swishing too!

Yes Alison I was in the stalls and was part of that - well deserved.

Well what a jolly afternoon at the Mayflower. Lovely Hirata and great ensemble support. I was a bit concerned about her fouettés but she held onto them. is the choreography different to the RB production- it seemed so to me and the staging worked well at the the Mayflower. The Mayflower audience gave the dancers and orchestra a very warm welcome and applause, even though the few people I spoke to were not familiar with Don Q. However, they were enjoying it. Lots were also looking forward to Swan Lake next year. People had travelled quite a distance too. Cannot get used to a male dancing Amour though and why doesn’t Kitri arrive properly on stage at first entrance?

Thanks looking forward to the matinee tomorrow. As for the comments above they seem rather disparaging about BRB. I hope Southampton audiences were more welcoming. If the city doesn’t support ballet performances we won’t continue to see them there.

What interesting and insightful comments Nogoat. I will be forever grateful to Ms Osipova and Mr Vasiliev for igniting my interest in ballet. Their Bolshoi performances in 2010 were like a jolt of electricity hitting the ballet world, especially the Don Q. As a result of that I have seen more ballet performances with different dancers and companies than I did in the year’s before. The most important quality I look for is a dancer who can communicate with the audience and who can move my very soul. That is the unique effect of Ms Osipova for me. “Still after all these years? -Always.”

Thank you Nogoat for your comprehensive analysis. I generally agree but I did find Act 3 on Saturday just as visceral as the Hallberg performance. I recall a real scream in that one though. Did you see the Acosta R&J?

TSR101 - I think new audiences are essential or this great art form will die out but surely if there are certain guidelines like not leaning forward and blocking the view of others or talking over the performance they should be complied with. Bringing drinks in glasses into the auditorium is also a safety issue. Consideration for others seems to have suffered over the course of the pandemic more generally I think.

Surely very entitled behaviour. I have not been to ROH since November and would have been v upset if my visit had been disturbed as described above. Perhaps they left for other reasons!

Re the production I always find the balcony scene so moving - I think it is my favourite in the ballet.

what extravagance Sim and cheek handing the glasses to the usher- as if they were a waiter!

So Raymonda is scheduled for the Mayflower in the Autumn? As I missed the London run I could catch it there then

Sim that is shocking

So sorry to hear of your experience art. I was in the amphi and a couple in front were also leaning forward. The very muscular man in the seat beside me politely asked them not to - and they complied. I suspect they didn’t want to argue with him! At first interval the usher reminded audience members not to lean forward - that helped. But I was also shocked to see people bringing in glasses of wine into the auditorium and drinking during the performance! is there a different audience on a Saturday?

Congratulations to Mr Clarke on his RB debut as Romeo - a lovely performance on Saturday. Surely he should be promoted soon. The whole company seemed energised and the sword fights etc were thrilling. Orchestra on form too. So many handsome dancers I am surprised that there was room on the stage! In addition to Clark, there was Acri, Hirano, Braendsrod. Always happy to see Mr Avis too. Ospiova and Clarke what a partnership to see developing - his height and strength meant the lifts looked really impressive . Together they are even more beautiful, if such is possible! Ms Osipova’s performance was epic. To take us from ecstasy to heartbreak in the course of a few hours an Oscar worthy performance. In some of the photos it seems that she shed a tear herself - she gave it everything so I am not surprised. I had decided not to see any R & Js this run but then I thought it would be foolish to miss out on one of Osipova’s great roles and Clarke’s debut. So I managed to get a return ticket and am so glad I did. It was a privilege to be there. I was very sorry I had to leave immediately to catch a train. I normally would stay to show my appreciation to all the artists but as I was running down the stairs from the amphi I could hear the thunderous applause - so much deserved.

Wonderful photos Rob thank you. just home after marathon train journey and overwhelmed with tonight’s performance.

Interesting - I have just finished the Petipa biography and think the ballet is referred to as The Sleeping Beauty but not sure if that is authoritative.

Well I have booked for the Saturday matinee and am looking forward to a joyful show. I always find Don Q uplifting. And I got 10% off. Show looks like it’s sold well.

Not sure about the Crimean War but wasn’t Wellington at a ball before the battle of Waterloo? So the idea is not so unrealistic.

Thanks for these reviews - sounds interesting