bridiem

The Lord Peter Wimsey dramatisations starring Ian Carmichael. I'm re-reading the books at the moment (last read them more than 20 years ago) and would love to see the programmes again. I loved Ian Carmichael in them!

Just caught the last few seconds of Tamara Rojo talking on the Today programme on Radio 4 - don't know what she was saying but clearly it was about the current situation.

Francesca Hayward has posted this lovely message on her Instagram account: 'These are very strange and unpredictable times but they really put everything into perspective for me. I realise that the most important thing right now is for us all to stay healthy and I feel all we can do is take each day as it comes and be sensible and diligent as individuals in order to help each other. Whilst this is obviously a serious situation I am enjoying the humorous relief on Instagram and also I feel warmed by the messages of love and support I see from all around the world. Staying healthy physically is obviously a priority but we also need to keep each other’s spirits lifted and our minds motivated! 🖤'

No - they just say 'with immediate effect'. I imagine any date would be speculative anyway.

Hugely depressing article. And for dancers, what if they can't even do class?

Doesn't each venue/company have terms and conditions in respect of ticket sales and potential cancellations etc? Which they surely have to adhere to. (Patrons may choose to decline a refund or donate it back to the venue/company, but that's a different matter.) So far I've only checked the t and c for Royal Opera House and Sadler's Wells in London, and both say they would refund if a performance is cancelled.

Oh dear! (So it nearly turned into a double suicide ending after all!!).

This was also listed in today's Links, in an article in The Stage including quotes from various people.

Happy to see that my reaction to Wednesday evening's performance is shared by one Natalia Osipova . Her Instagram post: 'What a wonderful evening it was. With the best company and @reececlarke & @balletboy09 as my partners! A night to remember.' I also saw a comment made by someone on Nunez's Instagram account, to the effect that it's so wonderful to see dancers giving their all and producing such brilliant performances at this incredibly difficult time. So true.

There are clearly different expert opinions (and a lot of opinions from non-experts) as to the most effective strategy. The experts who advise the Government are working to models in which they clearly have confidence, and they speak convincingly (from what I've seen). The fact that it's a different strategy to many other countries is indeed nervewracking, but that's not to say it's wrong. It's good (essential) to ask questions, and to continue to do so, but all I can do is pray for those who have to make these very difficult decisions.

It would be perfectly aligned with practicality, since I understand that a majority of Forum members are in the UK. However, I don't mind whether there's a separate thread or not; I'm finding the Forum's constructive information sharing about this situation very helpful.

I also thought Reece Clarke's début was excellent - in fact you'd never have known it was a début. His dancing is so beautiful and musical and although he's so tall he always seems to have so much time to complete his movements. He's elegant and assured, and he acts well and partners strongly. And what a partner he had! Osipova was phenomenal. She was the angriest Odette I've seen - vulnerable and loving, but also ragingly furious at her entrapment and trying desperately to use her wings/arms to beat her way out of her confinement. Dramatic and agonising. And then morphing into an Odile so apparently seductive that she sought to entrap Siegfried not just with her eyes but with her body and arms too, like an evil snake. And those fouettés!! She went off like a firecracker, pouring all her strength and power and determination into them and turning so fast she was almost a blur. Absolutely thrilling. Poor Siegfried didn't stand a chance. And in the final act, Odette's anguish is so deep that it transcends the personal - she seems to be expressing all the sadness and tragedy of the world. And her final resolve to commit suicide follows on inevitably. A monumental performance. I enjoyed Benjamin Ella's light, bouncy Benno, and Gary Avis's dark, steely Von Rothbart. It was interesting that it was so clearly the moment when Siegfried said NO to Von Rothbart that the latter clutched his chest and began to transform into the evil sorcerer, as if that moment of failure propelled him into the darkness of his evil nature where he could dominate the swan maidens without fear of challenge. Chilling. Anna Rose O'Sullivan and James Hay were fizzy and charismatic in the Neapolitan Dance, but I still felt it was slower than usual and that means it loses its pulse and rhythm and becomes almost laboured at times. Claire Calvert and Mayara Magri were well matched and very musical as the big swans, and very touching when they supported Osipova/Odette in the final act. All the swans were superb again in fact, and seemed to form a single entity with their suffering queen. Brilliant.

It was breathtaking! 🎆

I was told that tickets in the Amphi are 'by invitation only' for this performance.

It's Pacific Northwest Ballet (worked this out from a few mentions in the listings!).

Why on earth don't they show that online then? (Even if they hadn't decided this when the magazine went out, it should show it now.) It just says 100+ tickets available with no other indication. And isn't this also the company's last performance of the season? That was why I wanted to go to it. If I'd known it wasn't available, I would have made different decisions about which dates to book for this bill.

There were only a very few tickets left this morning for the Heritage programme in the Linbury and they were right round the side upstairs where I know from bitter experience that the view is terrible, so I didn't buy them. I wonder why could more evenings not have been scheduled for this programme which was likely to be in high demand? I will keep trying to pick up a ticket (if it goes ahead, of course!), but it's very disappointing. Also, I tried to book in the Amphi for the Tombeaux triple bill on Sat 13th June at 12 noon, but there were only a few slips seats left. Surely the whole Amphi can't have been booked out yet? It's not shown as a schools' performance or anything. Am I missing something?

It sounds amazing, Jeannette! Thanks for all the info.

I'm going to book as normal tomorrow, since the ROH (and I assume most other venues, though I don't know) would refund if the performances were cancelled.

And what about sponsors who donate towards particular programmes/performances/roles that don't then materialise? And associated income the theatres/companies would have budgeted for whilst performing? All very difficult.

There was a nice item on the Today programme on Radio about NB's anniversary and Geisha - started c 8.45am and presumably available on iplayer. They interviewed David Nixon and Kenneth Tindall.

It's 'Looking for Margot' again (1.15am Monday).

Me too - I thought she was terrific, with a really strong and delightful stage personality and lovely dancing.

Yes, I was surprised by that. I only remember Frankenstein being mentioned originally.

But some of Mark Monahan's reservations were about the production, which would equally apply if he'd seen this afternoon's performance. And I agree with him in that respect - ultimately this production doesn't move my heart, even though the dancers do (profoundly). I think for Monaghan to say that Nunez and Muntagirov don't display 'mutual, unbridled passion' is probably right - this isn't Mayerling. I would say that they display mutual, everlasting love. But for Monahan to say that at times they lack chemistry seems very strange to me. At least he acknowledges the quality of their dancing, I suppose!