Two Pigeons

I saw Rupert Christiansen of the Mail on Sunday at the Friday matinee and remembering his unfair slating of the BRB Romeo and Juliet I wondered how he would report on this performance. Well, I was wrong. It is a near rave and he gives it 5*. He was particularly takenjoyed with Tyrone Singleton, thoroughly deservedly, saying he can never have done anything better. He says his dancing of the virtuoso passages is crisply articulated and his characterisation of a devilish but insouciant charmer is simply irresistible. When he said you could almost hear female hearts fluttering in the auditorium as he falls down drunk and is debagged. Fluttering? Mine was banging like it had run a marathon. I did see both the first and second casts and was very enthusiastic about both. I felt that both Iain Mackay (Erroll Flynn) and Tyrone ( Douglas Fairbanks Snr) were have the time of their lives and really enjoying themselves as Petruchio. Elisha Willis has picked a terrific role for her farewell but I must also mention Nao Sakuma. Like Janet I had huge reservations about her casting but she came on like a little ninja and those reservations disappeared very quickly. I really enjoyed both shows and I would stress to any reader who is considering seeing any of the performances in Bristol to do so. There has been a lot of talk about the RB promotions and the BRB ones must be due next week. Bintley has a really galaxy of stars to choose from and I think we may be talking about those who miss out rather than those who do get recognised.

Please may I say that I also remember Sibley dancing Raymonda when she came back after her initial retirement. It was utterly glorious.

P.s. It is one of my favourites and I still class the performance I saw by the Bolshoi at the Coliseum in 1999 starring Nina Ananiashvili as the greatest individual classical performance I have ever seen.

When he came to the RB Nureyev only produced that last act and it is that which has remained in the repertoire of both Royal companies. I understand that doing the full length Raymonda was considered by SWRB. However, not only is the title role a very taxing one but it was thought the full ballet was too unfamiliar to audiences to be anything like commercially successful, especially on tour.

P.s. rather fancy Iain Mackay and Celine Gittens as the MacBeths too.

And a great chance for Lewis Turner. I actually quite relieved about Mathias Dingman. To me he was the obvious choice but I feel he has not been given that many opportunities recently and I was concerned we would lose him. So, three Hamlets, 3 great guys to show their stuff.

Indeed, especially as there seemed to be at least 1 or 2 in the assembled throng.

Much as I applaud both these plaques I think it is pretty poor that Markova has not been similarly honoured.

I seem to remember a story about Galina Samova doing the fouettes in either Swan Lake or Paquita and someone taking a photograph using a flash which interfered with her spotting and she fell over and broke her foot. I definitely saw her do the fouettes in Paquita but I have a feeling she substituted some impressive turns in a manege (spelling?) In Swan Lake. She is a dancer whom I think was far better than I remember. I think I was too young to really appreciate her when I saw her but I do remember seeing her in both the ballets mentioned and saying to my mother 'now there IS a ballerina'. Looking back on it I am really sorry I didn't see her as Giselle.

Sarah Wildor was one of the greatest losses to the Royal Ballet and it was all a question of unfortunate timing. She was one of the last Ashton dancers but that didn't fit with the company director's ethos at the time. I felt she was not well treated.

I remember in the early 80s there was quite a lot of conversation amongst balletomanes and some critics that Seymour was not that strong a dancer. It was around the time the RB revived the one act Anastasia and one of Seymour's keenest supporters saying people who thought that way should look at the works which were created on her and how the next generation of dancers were finding it challenging to perform her roles.

Sorry but I disagree. To me the word actress suggests glamour and excitement. Actor is either male or just utilitarian.

Irek Mukhamedov?

Good list Janet. Please may I add David Bintley and Michael O'Hare.

Remember it well but they were both outperformed by Denys Ganio and Dominique Khalfoni in the afternoon.

I have seen some of the ballets mentioned here but the one that I thought crossed the line was the first part of David Bintley's Arthur. Even the poker scene in Edward I wasn't as bad, probably because I was expecting it. I think that as with so much else in art if the violence or whatever is done well and justified in its context, like the scene with Rudolf and Stephanie in Mayerling, it is far more acceptable than when done badly.

Well she couldn't have made it clearer that she is desperate to dance Marguerite and that is in the RB schedule so I don't think it's too great a leap to make the connection.

I am a bit tardy with this as I was at the Wednesday matinee in Shrewsbury. I really liked the Severn Theatre which had very comfortable seats and good leg room except for the front row which is a bit cramped. For me the highlight of the day was the open class and it was great to see this in such an intimate atmosphere. The class and the programme involved 4 male principals but no female. This was instantly forgotten as I found extremely difficult to focus on anyone except Celine Gittens. I always knew this girl had star quality but at one point in the centre work she was flanked by Brandon Lawrence and Tyrone Singleton, both down to t-shirt and shorts. It comes to something when this red blooded woman could only watch Celine in the middle. She really is something special. The matinee was slightly disappointing and I do not share the general approval of Wink. It has a great role for Brandon and a featured one for Delia Mathews with a supporting cast which included Tyrone again (I was getting my money's worth) and Iain Mackay. However, I am not a fan of Ms Lang's habit of moving the scenery around when it seems that she has run out of ideas and there were times when the set reminded me of a municipal crematorium. This is my pet hate with BRB these days that the lighting seems to go from obscure to almost black out. I wanted to scream 'turn the lights up' a few times. I tend to refer to Peter Teigen as Gizmo as he seems to be terrified by bright light. I understand the the version of Wink which will go on at the Hippodrome and probably Sadler's Wells will be an expanded version on the bigger stages. There is also a fair bit of rolling around on the floor which will be lost to some of the audience sitting in the stalls I suspect. We then had the pas de deux from the Dream with Chi Cao and Karla Doorbar. They were very good individually but I did not feel that there was much of a connection between them. Then it was the turn of the balcony pdd from Romeo with the always excellent Cesar Morales and Momoko Hirata who really impressed me with her acting. Her dancing was never going to disappoint but her expressiveness really surprised me. Needless to say both of these duets were danced in some sort of semi gloom but when the lights came up for the extract from Taming of the Shrew things were really looking up. Tyrone and Maureya Lebowitz were great fun and clearly enjoying themselves which was infectious for the audience. The stage was a little cramped and I look forward to seeing the full work on the Hippodrome stage. Someone whose opinion I respect was very enthusiastic about the cast the night before of Iain Mackay and Elisha Willis so I look forward to seeing them as well. We finished with the Moor's Pavane which I had not seen for a couple of decades. I did not get to see Tyrone as Othello but I have no problems that the programme ended as it had begun with a stand out success for Brandon Lawrence. His tremendous stage presence and forceful personality was exactly what the role needs and he was well match by Iain Mackay being so evil as Iago. Yvette Knight was very suited to play Desdemona but it is not a showy role and all she needs to do is look beautiful and vulnerable which she did very well. More effective was Yijing Zhang as Emilia but that again is a reflection of the part rather than the dancer. It is not a work I would want to see that often and if I see it once more with Tyrone that will do me. I understand that the audiences in Shrewsbury for both performance and class were most encouraging and I would certainly return next year if I am able to do so. The Theatre is right by the river and it was just a lovely day out in so many ways. I think these split mini tours and a very valuable resource and long may they continue.

A knighthood is overdue!

Well deserved!

I don't know about his repertoire but I really hope that BRB in its current size and form outlives David Bintley's directorship. No reflection on him, I was thinking about the current levels of funding now the Council has introduced a swingeing reduction.

You have forgotten how utterly vicious he and Deidre McMahon were about Marguerite Porter in Ritz magazine. Actually Macaulay is mentioned in Porter's autobiography and how he sent her a fan letter in private but regularly slated her publicly. He has never lost an opportunity to be very critical of both Sir Peter Wright and David Bintley (both as dancer and choreography) the years.

Well I knew Macaulay in the 80s when he was sidling around anyone who could help him become a critic. I can remember him quoting me, although to be fair he did admit that to my face. I have got to the stage over the years that if he dislikes someone I will always give them the benefit of any doubt.

It was worth it though wasn't it Alison. Lovely performance of a lovely ballet. What a tragedy that Eva died so young, she was a dancer like no other.

I am very jealous!