bridiem

Yes, I thought that when I first saw this. Then I read the words.... And as Floss has said, the ROH has so far generally had no problem understanding and serving its audience. What went wrong, in the very recent past? That question can only be addressed at a senior level, not by doing more research at this sort of level and with no acknowledgement of what has gone wrong and why.

Well, no doubt this is exactly how they are required to communicate; if you speak/write plain English I imagine your application would be instantly discarded.

Interested to see that they want 'to promote a culture that delivers outstanding experiences for real people'. What other sort of people are there??! Amazing how much jargon can be fitted into one job ad. Was this written by a real person??!

I was giving them the benefit of the doubt that if I hadn't already contacted them, they would have contacted me... Otherwise yes, there will be people turning up who could be pretty annoyed.

Yes - there's been nothing from them. I was going to protest about this but then I thought they'd probably had enough stress about all this without me getting on my high horse!

I've just agreed a pact with my brother that we won't ring or text each other during the match; we'll just offer polite congratulations to the victor after the final whistle...

I hadn't heard from them by yesterday afternoon, so I emailed them and they have organised the refund. Not great that they hadn't contacted me, though. (My ticket was for tomorrow evening.)

Just catching up with this thread. Blimey! OK, so he doesn't like ballet... but talk about doing it down!! Nail after nail. 'We' don't get many mentions in the mainstream media, so it's a bit disappointing when there's one like this!

No need to apologise! I should have spelt it out (in bold capitals!). I have a problem in that my brother supports Spurs, so if they get through it will be a bit tricky. I'm also supposed to be going to R&J with a friend on the night of the final... oh well. I hope she won't mind too much but football is definitely going to take precedence!

No, I missed that! But thanks for posting the full time scenes. Sheer joy!! I never doubted for a moment...

Just to record that LFC is the most magnificent club in the world. YNWA

I haven't actually been notified yet, so if I wasn't on this forum I wouldn't know it had been cancelled/changed. If I don't hear by tomorrow, I'll contact them myself for the refund.

Thank you so much for posting these terrific photos, Rob S!

Great, thanks John.

I haven't been told this yet. I hope I will be able to get a refund since the programme has completely changed.

I think that what makes Lamb and Muntagirov so exceptional for me is their humility; they give themselves entirely to dancing the role, to dancing classical ballet, to the highest possible standard, without imposing anything of themselves on it. That doesn't mean they aren't expressive, but they give precedence to the choreography and the art form, not to themselves. Unlike (say) Osipova (and I am a huge fan of hers - this isn't a criticism), who is incapable of not imposing her personality on a role. So L & M showcase what classical ballet is, for me, and the sheer beauty and transcendence of the art form.

That's not good news, Alison. I really appreciated that feature too. Have just seen the further posts about this. Strange, because other sites still store card details. But I suppose it's better to err on the side of security.

I almost always sit in the Amphi, and make extensive use of my opera glasses. I find it totally absorbing and have no problem at all getting involved; though I'm not sure how I'd feel if I didn't use opera glasses. Of course they have the disadvantage of excluding the wider stage when you're using them; but I've become very adept at switching in and out of using them. Sitting in the stalls you lose a huge amount in terms of shape, pattern, and depth though obviously it has great advantages in terms of seeing the dancers close-up without the strain of using opera glasses. So my preference would be to sit in the Amphi routinely (in the centre, if I could afford it, which I can't) but if someone is kind enough to buy me a seat in the stalls from time to time I am thrilled to accept!

It's good to hear other people's reactions to the same performance, even if (or maybe particularly if) they weren't moved in the way I was. Hearing a range of reactions is really interesting. And I do think that a response to a performance is dictated by all sorts of things in both the viewer and the dancers at any given time, and by tastes and preferences and expectations (which can be fulfilled or confounded). Sometimes, everything just comes together for the viewer; that doesn't mean it does or will for all viewers. Which is why it's so valuable hearing as many responses as possible on this forum. I also wanted to add that the way Lamb and Muntagirov danced at this performance brought to my mind some words from what is probably my favourite poem, Little Gidding by T. S. Eliot: 'A condition of complete simplicity (Costing not less than everything) And all shall be well And all manner of thing shall be well' That really expresses it all for me.

That's very kind of you, Dawnstar. I'll really look forward to hearing your thoughts about both performances.

Overwhelmed by this evening's R&J. Lamb and Muntagirov gave performances of such beauty, purity and goodness that the tragedy became unbearable. This was a relationship not just of passion but of love, not just eros but (right from the start) agape. When he saw her at the ball, long before she saw him, he recognised in her something of inestimable value. When she saw him, her world expanded to encapsulate the whole universe. Their harmony when dancing together was emblematic of their inner peace; they knew what they had found. The balcony scene was so beautiful and expressive that it was like watching a poem being created. When they were being married, I felt overcome with grief at the realisation that this innocent and joyful love should have led to happiness, to a fulfilled life, to children, to the spreading of harmony; and none of this would happen. After their marriage, their love has been consummated and deepened so they are no longer two but one. At one moment in the bedroom pas de deux, Romeo carries Juliet forward in his arms, foreshadowing the moment later in the act when he will again carry forward her body, believing her to be dead - such terrible poignancy. When she is left on her own and sits on the bed, she's like a marble statue on the outside whilst inside a volcano is erupting, before she flies out of the bedroom to find Friar Laurence. When she is refusing Paris, she stands in front of the window out of which Romeo left, and blazes like Myrthe - you shall not pass, you shall not go where he went, you shall not enter my heart or soul. Positively frightening. When she finally appears to consent, she does so in a trance-like manner, unable to summon any more strength to fight what she knows is coming. And when she takes the potion, her convulsions are as ugly as her fear. When Romeo finds her in the tomb, he dispatches Paris with the same venom with which he had killed Tybalt; no lily-livered lover here. And he desperately 'dances' with Juliet, willing her to live, willing her to be alive. Accepting her death, he turns his venom on himself and takes the poison in total despair. Then as Juliet awakes, she stretches blissfully to her left to touch her Romeo, unaware that his dead body is to her right. As the full horror dawns on her, her dancing fragments. As she kneels by his body, her grief builds up from the depths of her body and pours upwards until it bursts out of her upturned mouth in a terrible scream. All harmony gone, and the inevitable end follows. But as she crawls over the tomb, as she nears Romeo, as she finally touches him and turns over, the harmony returns as they are united again in death. Great performances also from Sambé as Mercutio, Dubreuil as Benvolio and Whitehead as Tybalt. The fight scenes were really vicious, the deaths shockingly real. A wonderful company performance, and one I will always remember. I'm normally an Amphi-dweller, but my sister generously bought us seats in row B of the stalls for this performance, as a belated birthday present for me. What a treat to be so near! And what a treat to witness such a performance.

A belated comment - I saw this in Wimbledon, for the first time since its première run. My main reaction was that the male swans are still so powerful, impressive and original, and that I would love to see them in a more serious and powerful context. I'm clearly not on Matthew Bourne's wavelength in terms of humour etc, and anyway I don't know why he feels the need to make fun of what are basically serious works. I can't take the serious story seriously if it's constantly undermined by light-hearted humour. It's as if he doesn't quite have the courage of his conviction - the real belief in his choreography that the male swans indicate he should have.

I wasn't sure why the programme concentrated on Brick Lane; nowhere was it clarified that Khan was actually born and brought up in Wimbledon. And it's been clear from his work for a long time that he has been seeking to reconcile his upbringing and identity with his Bangladeshi heritage; I found the analysis in the programme much more superficial than what has emerged from his work. So although his dancing was wonderful, I found the programme as a whole a bit disappointing.

I think it's difficult to rate 'best evers', but for me Prokofiev's R&J would definitely be up there near the Tchaikovskys, as would his Cinderella and Adam's Giselle.

Life us too short for all this. I mean it really is.