Blossom

This is a great lead thanks. It looks rather lovely for a budget hotel and rather handy for the restaurant I had in mind.

Definitely going to do Van Gogh - cookies sounds amazing - but only if they cater for coeliacs! I was wondering about the aisle seats for that clear view across the stage - although based on the thread @alison linked to, it sounds like centre stalls won't have any issues - and prices are so much more competitive than London which gives so much more flex with seating. At least it will be more traditional that the ENB version which premiered at around the same time.... @art_enthusiast if our dates happened to match, we could have a BCF interval meet up 😉

Thanks so much!

DNB are going to be performing their new Raymonda again this December (pitching it as the perfect Christmas ballet which is interesting). I really want to see a traditional telling of the story so am seriously contemplating a couple of days in Amsterdam. Any recommendations for reasonably priced hotels local to the opera house? How small (and walkable) is Amsterdam? What is a must see other than Anne Frank's house and how does that work in terms of proximity to opera house area? Any help greatly appreciated. Editing to add: Any advice on auditorium seating would also be a help. I'd probably look at top 2 pricing tiers for this.

Thanks @capybara for sharing the casting. It's good to have just that extra little bit of time to decide which casts to see. It's going to be a pretty difficult task as I think I will be limited to only a couple of dates plus the rehearsal.

Speaking of the Scottish play, I am heading to The Globe to see it this evening. Top price ticket (bench seat with cushion) is £68 as with all productions, however, scenery is sparse to none, lighting is quite limited etc, which means the relative cost of putting on a performance must be much less.

I've been helping my daughter to book for various youth schemes and looking at Sadlers Wells specifically, the availability often differs by production, even in the same auditorium. Sometimes only back rows are available, sometimes seats are peppered across the seat plan. I was actually quite impressed with the offering for ROH (despite the much higher cost per ticket), bearing in mind the face value of some of the balcony seats on offer for Don Q. I'd also imagine better seats for other productions will mean young punters are more likely to give them a try.

As a final aside from my performance notes, I sat in the central block of the stalls circle today after a few dates of SCS. Unfortunately Row C is not the row to sit in as it's not really raised vs the row infront and although little was obscured by heads infront, the view is just so much better when standing without the worry of the view being obstructed, which happily reinforces my decision to mostly stand in autumn.

The gala was overall wonderful. David Hallberg came on stage before the dancing began to explain how Ninette de Valois sent Peggy van Praagh to Australia with the mission to set up a ballet company and to introduce what we were going to see - not as a history of the company, but as a statement of where they have arrived. Sixty years later, the company's interpretation of the diverse range of choreography shown today indeed shows how far they have come and how proud they should be of what has been built over the past 6 decades. The classical pieces danced were danced so beautifully, opening with Harlequinade (which is attributed wholly to Petipa but I thought this was a reconstruction by Ratmansky?). Marcus Morelli shone as Harlequin which seems to be a great vehicle for demonstrating technical skill. Sharni Spencer was a beautiful Columbine and enjoyed their pdd. Concerto followed and Amy Harris and Nathan Brook danced with such musicality, each step and port de bras melted into the next. I New Then was a starkly contrasting piece of contemporary dance (Johan Inger) which was well delivered and again demonstrated the company's musicality. Act 1 ended with Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux danced by Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo which was suitably exciting and thrilling. Unfortunately they missed the second fish dive. but then even Marianela did back during the Covid programmes. Act 2 opened with Everywhere We Go by Justin Peck - I loved the geometric projection on the back cloth and the simple yet effective striped tops for the ladies and striped belt/band for the men. I really enjoyed the choreography, particularly the different groupings and patterns on stage as well as the overall energy of the piece - and great music. I have to admit I don't know the story of Anna Karenina but this was a beautifully and emotively danced piece. Watermark by Pam Tanowitz followed and left me utterly confused. At first the choreography seemed to be getting somewhere with the introduction of a gently danced mazurka step by 2 or 3 of the dancers but then everything became incredibly pared back and uninteresting to watch. Incidentally, in the year I was on the panel for the Olivier Awards dance category, it became incredibly clear that anything 'postmodern' is not for me. The piece was followed by a piece by Alice Topp of Australian ballet which set things back on track. To finish, we had Joe Caley and Benedicte Bemet leading Don Quixote which as with the Tchaikovsky pdd gave us a thrilling finish. Don Q opened with a lively Spanish dance which hit the right notes, followed by a bridesmaid's dance which led us into the Kitri/Basilio pas de deux. Choreographed by Nureyev, there was quite a difference with other versions I've seen, but was thoroughly enjoyable to watch and again demonstrate the classical credentials of the company. There was an audible gasp from the audience as Bemet momentarily wobbled off point during the final fouette pirouettes but only because the audience were so engaged and invested. A fabulous performance and the Australian Ballet have done themselves proud. Hopefully they will return to London more frequently.

I appear to have misread/remembered top pricing!

Are the prices correct on the seat plan? They aren’t consistent with what is published in the magazine.

Is she on maternity leave?

@capybara is this information released to higher tier Friends or from another source? Makes no sense that casting changes would be sent out to some but not all people at once (although a lot doesn’t make sense with ROH comms).

This is heartbreaking (for Cesar).

🤣🤣🤣

I remember Matthew Bourne mentioning in an interview that his mum took him to see lots of theatre growing up, cheap seats but lots of them and this is what gave him his passion for live theatre/dance. The partnership is likely close to his heart and an excellent initiative to support.

Tonight was simply dazzling, a real treat (and I have managed to find a new convert to scs in my cousin). I have never seen Jewels before so everything was fresh to enjoy, from music to costumes to the different schools of ballet represented, each so different that it is hard to choose a favourite. That is, it would be hard to choose a favourite if Diamonds didn’t have just that extra (literal) sparkle and the most majestic Polonaise to finish worthy of a Russian classic. What I also enjoyed tonight was not knowing the cast and just trying to watch everything going on rather than picking out my favourites… Looking forward to Sunday’s gala.

Yes , I just received it too.

Just to say I now have 2 options on my spare ticket which I think is more than enough!

If anyone wants a single ticket to Magri/Corrales on 7 Nov (Row B stalls circle centre, bar exit side, £125), my friend is no longer able to join me from abroad due to a work conference. I'm strategically holding onto the ticket because the date is off sale. No commitment needs to be made right now, but PM me if you want to be pencilled in on my spreadsheet...

Re 7 Nov, from the outset, the whole of the left hand side map of the auditorium was blocked out in grey bar 1 or 2 seats, so I think this had always appeared to be some sort of invited event,

I have bought differently but for different reasons. I usually try to bring friends along but it is getting hard to manage their budgets (and the need to be seated) with my preference for an excellent view. Last season I ended up returning a lot of companion tickets at prices people were no longer willing to pay. Group visits will be limited to Sadlers Wells and Coli. I have bought more single tickets as a result or know who to invite along if planning SCS! As a final difference in habit, I think that buying single tickets also makes me less likely to sit in particular areas. Editing to add that I haven’t booked Dante as it’s too soon and don’t feel I need to see it particularly. In contrast, will be back to see The Cellist specifically for the new cast albeit on a smaller budget- but this is usually my tactic for additional casts in the same run.

It’s been a few years since I have been to one, but they are basically opportunities to visit the ROH with activities based on a theme. The first one I took my kids to was in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday and we made poppies from recycled programme covers and sheet music, there was also an opportunity to see a ballet based on WW1 experiences being rehearsed (can’t remember the name but was by Alastair Marriott). Other activities on various event days included upcycling old pointe shoes, mini ballet classes, trying on costumes (real tutus present!), learning how to conduct an orchestra (there was a brilliant young conductor running that activity)… Assuming the education team continue to make them as brilliant, I would really recommend going, especially through winter months where it’s lovely to have lots of activities to choose from indoors!

Is it particularly bad because of wider appeal for Nutcracker?

i don’t think there is a difference between what a friend and non friend can buy for each performance. Tickets for Nutcracker (likely to sell at a faster rate) are capped at 8, as is Don Q.