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RobR

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  1. RobR
    I think that these are different bracelets. We can see a bracelet on the Gaoler's desk. Probably my mistake, given my recent history, but I’ve always seen the bracelet as an allegory. Both M. GM and the Gaoler give jewellery to those they desire and wish to corrupt. The Gaoler has clearly been examining the new shipment of transported harlots for his own gratification and has Manon dragged to his quarters. In the first instance, Manon succumbs to the temptation but with the Gaoler, the wiser Manon sees the offer for what it is and rejects both the bracelet and the advances (and is raped, nonetheless). Following her arrest, trial, haircut and transportation, Manon, like the other harlots, arrived with nothing but the rags she stands in.
  2. RobR
    I’ll pm you
  3. RobR
    Just back from tonight so, two things. First, Hayward & Campbell and Corrales & Magri we’re terrific! The whole cast was pretty good too. Second, my apologies to all of you who said that there were five courtesans. You were right and I was wrong, and it was Storm-Jensen.
  4. RobR
    And excellent reviews in France for the RB ‘Cross Currents’ trio performances in the current Merce Cunningham Centenaire at the Theatre de Chaillot in Paris.
  5. RobR
    Thanks for this post which encapsulates at least three of the rather vague ideas in my mind when I started the thread. I have noticed how dancers, at every level, relax into new roles although with some RB principals (and I’m thinking here, primarily, of Francesca Hayward) any differences are hardly discernible.
  6. RobR
    Thanks all
  7. RobR
    Thanks Dawnstar, I’m afraid it was a Londoncentric approach, given that I live in London, but I can confirm that many of the 'usual suspects' I see frequently (care taken not to split that particular infinitive) at the ROH regularly travel from far further afield.
  8. RobR
    I know many BF members will see multiple performances by different casts but, given the 'magic' of a first night, do you try and see that first night of a run, or do you go later in the run, on the basis that the dancers will have relaxed in the roles and that additional corrections or tweaks will have been made by the director, ballet master/mistress and stage and lighting teams. Just something I wondered. (This may have been covered previously, in which case I apologise) (Mods, I’m afraid I couldn’t work out how to put the title in bold - if you’d do the honours)
  9. RobR
    And there is a significant disparity in height. Both Campbell and Clarke are great but Takada is very petite and Campbell is physically a better match.
  10. RobR
    Now, I’m afraid I’m getting a little confused. Dawnstar refers to a dancer in red velvet (and about whom I posted) and you subsequently assured me that the dancer I’ve missed is in bottle green. Unless you or Dawnstar is red/green colour blind, and are referring to the same dancer, are we now up to five or six courtesans? 😀
  11. RobR
    Don’t worry @FionaE, it’s not everyone’s opinion.
  12. RobR
    I can say with some confidence that in Act 2, apart from the four named courtesans and Lescaut's mistress, who dance, there are two female Corps members dressed in similar fashion but not credited in the cast sheet because these are non-dancing roles, and the two of them merely glide gracefully around the back of the set. One of these is in a red velvet costume.
  13. RobR
    Dawnstar posted, “Why are there only 4 courtesans credited on the cast sheet when there are 5 of them on stage? While 2 have larger roles, the other 3 seem to do about the same amount yet the one costumed in red velvet (mostly Gina Storm-Jensen at the performances I've seen) doesn't get credited.” I think I may originally have made a similar assumption. In fact the four courtesans are listed in the cast sheet, and the fifth is Lescaut's mistress, who dances with them.
  14. RobR
    Capybara says “ One of the joys of Manon for me is that lower-ranked dancers ......... have the chance to shine”, and I fully agree with her. I have been a regular at the ROH for about fifteen years and have always enjoyed watching the 'junior' RB dancers, spotting my favourites and trying to predict those who may rise through the ranks. Most of the ballets, not just Manon, have roles that allow a junior dancer to take the next step (no pun) on the developmental ladder. In some instances, dancers who are 'covers', have had the chance to make a mark, if not an impact. I understand why 'bigger names' are sometimes imported; Osipova & Hallberg for example, but I get greater pleasure watching dancers who have developed with and within the RB and whose careers I have enjoyed over the years. I think that both the current Director, and his predecessor, should take both satisfaction and pleasure from having adopted and applied such an approach, rather than merely buying in talent.
  15. RobR
    I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed reading the latest tranche of reviews of following this afternoon's matinee, particularly in respect of Alexander Campbell's performance. Some posters, and I abbreviate and paraphrase describe Campbell's performance as 'two dimensional' whilst others say he was 'immaculate'. I assume both views are mutually exclusive or were some posters at different performances?
  16. RobR
    It’s all fun and games until it ends in tears 😉
  17. RobR
    Congratulations. I’m afraid I can’t help you with your enquiry but I know that both your daughter and you must be thrilled. You never know where it might lead.
  18. RobR
    I was interested to read another thread in which an Amphitheatre enthusiast (and a BF Poster I assumed was a regular at the ROH) acknowledged a difficulty in discerning and distinguishing dancers from the higher vantage point. We can all spot Principals from every seat location, and need little assistance distinguishing between them, but the narrative ballets have many relevant roles and part of the pleasure of watching a live performance is to watch old favourites in the non-principal ranks, Gasparini and Pajdak fall into this category, and to spot the new dancers who are likely to make an impression in the future. I find it next to impossible to take in the bigger picture through opera glasses, where I might miss some aspect outside my direct focus and, of course, it’s easy to miss the facial expressions, acted nuances and epaulements ((amongst other things) having ones eyes glued to opera glasses, way on high. By way of a further example, we’ve all seen film or video recordings, in which the camera, and the film editor concentrate on the facial expressions of the principals (believing that that’s what the audience want to see) and generally ignoring feet and the performances of the other ten/twenty dancers on stage. Anyway, sorry for my ramble but I go (and I advise others to do likewise) as low down and as expensively as I can afford. Of course, I do sit in the Amphitheatre, but only if I can’t get a better seat.
  19. RobR
    Anyone seen it? I ask because I’m going tonight.
  20. RobR
    Unless it’s a ballet where I want to watch the patterns danced by the corps, for instance the snowflakes in Nutcracker, of the options you propose, I’d always opt for the Stalls Circle. This is because I like to feel closer to the stage, to have a better (in my view) sight of the footwork of the dancers and, significantly for me, I can see the expressions on the faces of the dancers without the need to rely on opera glasses or mini-binoculars.
  21. RobR
    Will Tuckett was pretty scary too.
  22. RobR
    And I also enjoyed a strong debut by Buvoli as a courtesan.
  23. RobR
    Absolutely, all one had to do was ask..........
  24. RobR
    Yes please, I’ll pm you
  25. RobR
    Presumably not mutually exclusive?
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