JohnS

Thanks Josephine - like you I can only see the pricing charts for the Autumn and not the detail.

Many thanks Josephine The information by season means I can now see booking dates for each season which I hadn’t managed to find earlier in the week - and I’m not sure why the season guide doesn’t give the booking periods as 9:00 on the appropriate booking day is pretty crucial information. But if I then look at a production from the season menu, I don’t see the pricing charts. Using the Tickets and events route to select a production, the pricing chart is available, albeit the charts don’t seem to be working but at least it’s easy to see the range of prices by production. I don't like carping (honestly) but there’s still so much to do with the website. On a much brighter note, I’m looking forward enormously to the new season - never seen Coppélia, delighted with Onegin, and have high hopes for the Cathy Marston/du Pre and The Dante Project, particularly given Tomas Adès’ commission.

I would add ‘headstrong’ as well - she knew what she wanted and there was a real urgency, determination and desperation about what she had to do. I thought there were even hints of the possibilities of what love might entail when being introduced to Paris (although not with Paris). I found her portrayal irresistible.

All a bit tricky to see what’s going on as we still do not have the 2017-18 Annual report. The 2016-17 Annual Report states: 31% of tickets at £30 or less 38% of tickets at £40 or less 47% of tickets at £50 or less The only headline figure for ‘last season’ we currently have is: 40% of tickets at less than £45. In the Autumn Magazine, Alex Beard refers to the advantages of flexible pricing, setting different prices for each production, including having seats in different price categories and how it wouldn’t be possible to publish the pricing detail for each production on a coloured plan. I don’t have any issues with that. But he is a little disingenuous in suggesting that the flexibility is ‘as much to do with lowering prices where it makes sense as nudging them up elsewhere.’ The overall impact of flexible pricing has been an increase in prices and it would be much better to be open - most seats have gone up in price, a few have reduced, and some low priced seats have gone up very significantly. But Alex Beard concludes that ‘price rises have been held below the rate of inflation over the last five Seasons.’ No data is provided and I have no idea what inflation measure is being used - RPI or CPI or something else? But I would be very interested in understanding the evidence for the statement. It might be box office revenue per audience member. But I’m surprised by the statement as I recall looking at prices for similar Ballet’s from one season to the next and the price increases were significantly greater than any generally accepted measure of inflation. I do like the point he makes that the ROH is the cheapest and most expensive theatre in the West End. In the Telegraph interview there’s an interesting comment: “Audience development is a high priority. As another of his predecessors, Genista McIntosh, once put it: ‘We don’t need more people here; we need different people.’ Although the ROH may be full every night, it tends to be the same crowd, drawn from a narrow demographic that leaves the Government uneasy.” I’m not sure when that statement by Genista McIntosh was made - perhaps someone might help? But it certainly has been strongly repeated in the Baker Richards analysis. Offsetting the concern about the need for different people, it is good that so much is made of all the outreach work, schools matinees, Paul Hamlyn subsidised performances, students etc. I’ll be very interested to read the Annual Report is published and try and get my head around some of the issues. Meantime the Autumn Magazine Alex Beard article is well worth a read, as is the Telegraph interview. Apologies this is a bit scatter gun but I thought it worth saying something now, before looking more closely once the Annual Report is published, which I’m told will be in May.

I thought Saturday’s performance tremendous but tonight's was a step change. Cesar Corrales seemed much more relaxed and the entire cast gave one of those complete performances that will live long in the memory. So pleased to have seen this second performance and enjoy the final performance for those fortunate people with tickets. Here’s hoping that next year such casts will not be scheduled for final performances on bank holiday weekends with major engineering works. Words seem rather superfluous other than congratulations and many thanks to the entire cast, and to Paul Murphy for conjuring some magic from the orchestra.

Many thanks Richard and Rob - I’ve seen some matinee photos on Instagram but I don’t recall any quite as good as Rob’s two above. A friend very kindly let me have a copy of a video of the curtain call/bouquet presentations and I was really just encouraging people for tonight.

Agreed Bridie - fabulous photos and flowers. And I hope very much there’ll be some photos from tonight! I don’t recall seeing any from Saturday’s matinee.

Isn't this Alice Opera? https://www.roh.org.uk/events/4fxcy I only looked at calendar when you’d posted a link to mixed bills and the programme was being loaded. I’ve got calendar bookmarked as it’s so useful and I just hope the website eventually provides a direct link. Small point but very welcome to see the Royal Ballet School Annual Performance back to Saturday 12:00 - Sunday travel is hopeless for trying to attend a matinee from Cumbria (and many places I guess).

Looks as if the whole programme is available via the calendar link above, month by month.

If you look by the old calendar you’ll see Manon: https://www.roh.org.uk/events/calendar/2019/09

Just received this from ROH: “... due to injury, Reece Clarke is replaced by guest artist Jacopo Tissi as Romeo on Friday 17 May, Thursday 23 May and Wednesday 29 May.” Very sorry for Reece.

And (apologies if this is repeated) but I thought it worked incredibly well having such a matching set of lead men - all looking young, fabulous dancing, unrestrained sword fighting, and real energy/charisma/stage presence. I may well be wrong but haven’t Tybalts tended to be older dancers? To my mind the matinee seemed so refreshingly young and balanced for the quartet.

Back from the evening performance and certainly very enjoyable, if not to me as moving as this afternoon. I find Sarah Lamb’s Juliet a little cool. Much is executed extremely well and the final moments were exquisitely shaped. But there were times when things felt a little tidy. I got very little sense of Juliet’s desperation in seeking out Friar Laurence for help. She scarcely got to the curtained openings let alone looked in the rooms. This afternoon Francesca Hayward entered the rooms in her desperate search. I thought Sarah Lamb almost came to grief on the last step as she came down the steps from her balcony but fortunately no slip, I very much enjoyed Vadim Muntagirov’s Romeo - fabulous dancing and effective sword fighting. But again there was a tidiness about his performance which contrasted with an edge of seat, raw feel to parts of the matinee. The Romeo/Tybalt sword fight was lethal, perhaps too free at the start with swords not actually clashing, Tybalt losing one sword which Romeo attempted to give back but which Tybalt had to retrieve which made for a great recovery. But after that it really was a hammer and tongs fight and Matthew Ball’s final leap at Cesar Corrales was astonishing. I don’t want to give the impression that the matinee was untidy or rushed. Some of the most affecting moments were the stillnesses where you could see exactly what Romeo and Juliet were thinking, the all encompassing love they were feeling, and the enormity of the decisions they were taking. That wedding service was so powerful with the lovers gazing at each other. In the evening, certainly to start with, Romeo and Juliet were a model of restraint at their wedding. And Francesca Hayward seems to have so much time to make the most of those moments of real pathos. I fully agree with all the plaudits for Marci Sambe - double Mercutio. Matthew Ball was a tremendous Tybalt and I very much enjoyed James Hay’s and Benjamin Ella’s Benvolio. And I agree with the praise for all the harlots, Juliet’s friends, and corps. A fabulous double performance, the Corrales/Hayward cast is a ‘must see’, and I’m looking forward immensely to Tuesday’s repeat.

The matinee was wonderful - I’ve never been so moved by the wedding service. Just managed a quick word with Francesca Hayward at the Stage Door and absolutely delighted to have picked up a good ticket for Tuesday. No chance of making her final performance given train services over the bank holiday weekend and thought I simply must come again. The cast really was a dream - Anna-Rose O’Sullivan as Juliet’s lead friend just an example of the luxurious casting.

Does anyone know if there are Met encores - I’m looking forward to double Romeo & Juliet but would like to catch the relay?

Just hoping there’ll be another change to the title of the thread tonight and Arsenal (and Chelsea) are added. Given Arsenal’s ability to waste so many chances in recent weeks, I’m not greatly optimistic.

Hoping there won’t be any spectacular come backs tonight, particularly by Valencia!

I didn’t see the programme as attempting to provide a definitive account of Janet Baker’s career and training. I thought it much more an exploration of loss and grief, centred on Janet Baker’s loss of her brother in childhood, and then the death of inspirational artists such as Kathleen Ferrier and Sir John Barbirolli. Janet Baker eloquently described preparing for the end of her own operatic and recital careers. And music’s offer of consolation was so richly illustrated, with astonishing insights from Janet Baker and other artists and friends, witnessing their reactions to some of Janet Baker’s finest recordings, in terms of their musicality and emotional impact. I found the whole 90 minute programme profoundly moving, the BBC at its finest.

I saw Liverpool had scored very early on but then was completely engrossed in the Janet Baker documentary on iPlayer. Very surprised and pleased to hear the score at the end of the documentary, with still a couple of minutes to go. Hoping very much Liverpool win the final, particularly if Spurs manage to beat Ajax. And apologies Bridie, I’m afraid I’ll have to admit to googling YNWA and felt suitably humbled.

Many thanks Mary - I’d been meaning to catch this after reading the reviews but then didn’t find the time. It really is a wonderful programme, so insightful, tremendously moving and uplifting. Just seven days left on iPlayer: Janet Baker - In Her Own Words: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00048q7 via @bbciplayer I think this is a better link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00048q7

Many thanks bangorballetboy - I thought I’d read something about 14 May (perhaps from you in an earlier post?). Seems a bit odd having a preview a week after the Season’s programme has been announced but I’ll look forward with great interest to 14 May.

I’ve just received an invite for a preview of the Royal Opera House’s new season for 21 May (evening ) so I think we’re going to have to wait until around then to find out what’s planned. I’m not in London that day so I’ll just have to be patient.

Having thought about the alternative programme, I decided to cancel my ticket and have instead picked up one of the last tickets for András Schiff playing the Bach six partitas at the Wigmore Hall - a little removed from Seven Deadly Sins! After a visit to the Royal Ballet School, I thought András Schiff and Bach an ideal concert pairing and would set up double Romeo and Juliet for Saturday.

Many thanks for these posts Ivy Lin and Pas de Quatre. I found the June 2014 performance I saw at the ROH with Deborah Polaski and Simon Rattle incredibly moving and do hope it is revived. I agree - it’s performed all too rarely.

You should be ok for a refund Bridie. The email says: If you wish to have your tickets refunded, please contact the box office on sevendeadlysins@wiltons.org.uk or 020 7702 2789 so that we can process your request. Our phone lines are open 11am-6pm, Monday-Friday (closed Saturday 4th May and Sunday 5th May but with answerphone facility).