JohnS

I’d had the ‘access allocation’ reply but suggested the patterns didn’t look credible. I got a second reply saying they’d checked again and the ‘access allocation’ explanation was correct. But we now see these tickets are accessible via seat maps.
I do hope people manage to get their Swan Lake tickets.

I’m afraid I struggle with the ‘access allocation’ line which has been peddled. There’s only been a problem with Swan Lake and with seat prices at up to £175 in the tickets allegedly held for ‘access’ purposes, it simply hasn’t seemed credible.

1 hour ago, PeterS said:

 

 

all the ROH website needs is a message similar to the one in the Donmar Warehouse website:

 

“If the performance you are looking for says it has limited availability but appears sold out, this will indicate that seats are not available for the general public.”

 

We now see that for Swan Lake 7 March those c30 seats are now available to be booked via the seat map. I imagine that seats for other Swan Lakes are also available.

I think there’ve been problems with Swan Lake for some days now - no seats showing when accessing the seat map when the suggestion is that there are a number of tickets for sale. A few days ago I mentioned it to the Box Office when I’d had problems using my credit card for an on line booking. I’ve also emailed Customer Services.

Fabulous opening night and more than meeting my sky high expectations. I find Francesca Hayward utterly convincing as Manon. She captures the extremes of Manon’s highs and lows: the vitality of youth, the delights of love, the attraction of riches when contrasted with the bleakness of poverty, mesmerising in the Act 2 brothel scene where she controls the roomful of admirers, then broken by Lescaut’s death and the awfulness and tragedy of Act 3. After a slightly tentative start, I found Marci Sambe hugely impressive in Acts 2 and 3. Alex Campbell makes an astonishingly believable Lescaut and I very much enjoyed Mayara Magri’s Mistress although I rather missed much of her solo as there’s so much going on between Manon and the most repugnant Monsieur GM, another chilling performance from Gary Avis. Wonderful dancing from the entire cast. An unmissable performance, the Royal Ballet at its best and I’m so pleased to have a ticket for the second and last performance of this cast, a month away and many more casts to enjoy.

19 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

At the end here, Giselle bourrees back to her grave and leaves him, but this version uses the dramatic music, so that Albrecht can show his grief that he's lost her forever,  which makes for a more dramatically "complete" ending for the audience. (And easier for new Albrechts as the quiet endings, eg RB's, means you have to be a much better actor for it not to feel like  "Ok time for everyone to go home" as opposed to "Wow! What a story, what a brilliant performance!". Meaning that, yes, for some RB partnerships, it has felt like an anticlimax at the end. RB's first Giselle and Albrecht in that production were Lesley Collier and Stephen Jeffries who, being great dance actors, had no problem conveying the drama.) 

I may have missed things/got the timing wrong but didn’t Giselle at the close drop a few petals on Albrecht? But definitely no flower for Albrecht.

Much to admire in last night’s Giselle and fabulous dancing: I was hugely impressed by Khaniukova, Frola, McWinney, and the ENB Corps.

Authenticity certainly has merit and particularly when handled with such care. But on first viewing of the Skeaping production, I thought the production so favoured authenticity that some of the dramatic appeal of Giselle was lost and I can appreciate the comments much earlier in the thread about audience members feeling less engaged.
 

I apologise in advance that I’m contrasting the Skeaping production with the Royal Ballet’s but I found throughout that I was missing the Royal Ballet’s heightened dramatic impetus and fleshing out of all characters. I rather like how Hilarion and Berthe are presented in the Royal Ballet’s production, Hilarion giving the brace of pheasants to Berthe and Berthe clearly favouring Hilarion. I find it odd that Bathilde presents the necklace to Giselle because they’re both engaged rather than for Giselle’s dancing. Might Bathilde offer every engaged girl she encounters her necklace where, despite her wealth, surely Bathilde would run out of necklaces in short order? I missed the artistry of the Royal Ballet’s PD6 and recall so many fabulous performances by young dances who are now Principals. The PD2 didn’t hit such a high mark for me. And I much prefer the Royal Ballet’s nod to suicide (better fitting the location of Giselle’s grave) rather than Skeaping’s ‘weak heart only’ explanation for Giselle’s demise.
 

In Act 2 I did like the first interaction with Hilarion and the villagers and their brush with the Wilis. But I had the distinct impression that the villages had fled so was surprised to see their reappearance which to me slowed the drama down where I thought Hilarion could have done with a bit more of the action. But I think I was most surprised when Myrtha’s spell was broken so early in Act 2 where I’m afraid I found the fugue straight after quite incongruous, for me breaking the drama. And despite the impressive programme notes, I really struggled to see how Act 2 could be sustained when Myrtha had been vanquished so much earlier. I find the final scene of Giselle one of the greatest scenes in all ballet which often breaks me when Albrecht finds Giselle’s flower at the end of the Royal Ballet’s production. But despite last night’s fabulous dancing, I wasn’t as moved as I often am which I think largely results from the production’s quest for authenticity.
 

That said I’m very much looking forward to Thursday’s matinee and I’ll be interested in how I find a second viewing after further re-reading of the programme.

A very special bonus Giselle for me this evening having made a weather enforced late change to my London trip, travelling a day early to ensure I made tomorrow’s Manon GR/opening night. I wonder if tonight will provide the highlight of my Giselle/Manon/Elektra performances?

On 10/01/2024 at 14:01, Amanda Liu said:

Cast for Lescaut’s mistress and Monsieur GM is on ROH website.

Have they disappeared again? Or perhaps it’s Avanti’s broadband?

Many thanks @PeterS. I’m more interested in finding out about the staging role rather than the overall MacMillan custodial role. For Nutcracker the cast sheet shows Christopher Carr, Gary Avis and Samantha Raine were all responsible for staging. In addition principal coaching lists: Alexander Agadzhanov, Darcey Bussell, Olga Evreinoff, Isabel McMeekan, Christopher Saunders and Edward Watson. We often see dancers with their coach in Insights, World Ballet Day, the cinema interval features etc. But I don’t know what staging covers and what the relationship is between those staging and those coaching. Perhaps staging becomes more important where choreographers/producers are not available for revivals etc but I’d be keen to know more rather than speculate.

That really was a fabulous Insight setting up next week’s Manon run. Laura Morera’s Midas touch continues to dazzle me and I’m very much looking forward to seeing all the dancers perform their roles.

I was delighted to hear that Laura is ‘staging’ Manon so has a role beyond that of principal coach for some of the dancers. But I’m unsure what the staging role entails and would be very interested to hear what it covers. Would anyone be able to provide some enlightenment please? Many thanks.

It worked brilliantly before Christmas.

Hugely enjoyable Nutcracker tonight, albeit the biggest smile for me was Hans-Peter wearing his medal for the last two scenes and hence the curtain calls. It was good to hear other audience members behind me immediately notice the medal’s reappearance. On the train to London I’d emailed Kevin O’Hare asking about the discarding of the medal as it seemed so odd given Clara has her necklace, and how it looked as if Hans-Peter had been cashiered. I saw Kevin at the Stage Door and the medal is definitely back. 
 

I’ll post some thoughts about the performance later.

Many thanks nyyy - the ticket is yours. I’ve replied to your email.

This is one of the Friday Rush standing places which is now spare. Please dm me if you’d like it.

Apologies - I put on the Christmas TV thread that the 6 episodes are all now available on iPlayer for 1 month. I’m assuming the month starts now rather than when the episodes are broadcast. Also I Player refers to The Magic of Dance series 1 but was there a second series?

The iPlayer refers to Magic of the Dance series 1 episodes 1 to 6 (just 6 episodes). But I’m afraid I don’t know if there was a second series.

I see all six episodes of the Magic of Dance are currently available on iPlayer but each episode says only for a month. I’m assuming that means the month has already started rather than it’s a month following the scheduled TV broadcast.

https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/28783-congratulations-to-ashley-dean-benjamin-ella/?do=findComment&comment=426555

@Rob S posted a fabulous photo of Ashley Dean and Benjamin Ella on the congratulations thread above when they’d been dancing Clara and Hans-Peter in 2022/23. At the curtain call Hans-Peter was looking particularly resplendent wearing his medal and Clara of course had her necklace.
 

I’ve been meaning to ask why in 2023/24 Hans-Peter no longer has his medal in the brief closing scenes when he meets Clara and then Drosselmeyer. I think in one of the performances I saw before Christmas the medal may have fallen off and was retrieved but in the closing scenes, there’s been a decision that Hans-Peter should no longer wear his medal. It’s a break with what I thought had been presented for many years (since the production was first presented?) and I struggle to understand why the change has been made. It also looks very odd as in all the curtain call photos we can clearly see the scuffed mark where the medal had been attached.

One of the joys of this production is Clara recognising that she has her necklace and so it wasn’t a dream. But it doesn’t seem as well matched if Hans-Peter’s medal has ‘fallen off’. I’d love to see the medal reinstated and wondered if others agree?

Fabulous photo. And what’s interesting here is that Hans Peter wears his medal - but hasn’t the medal gone in the 2023 revival when H-P returns for the short final scenes? I think a medal fell off in Act 2 at one performance I saw but I don’t think any H-Ps wear their medals in the final scenes/curtain calls. I’ll try and post something on the Nutcracker thread.

32 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

That made a pleasant change: the first time I've tried Friday rush in a while where I haven't got stuck in a queue looking at that dratted sofa!

No sofa but it took several attempts to get past the ‘all tickets sold’ message. I could try for the Hansel & Gretel 30/31 performances pretty much immediately but I assume it took a few minutes for Nutcracker Friday Rush tickets to be released. Things must have gone reasonably smoothly as Nutcracker tickets were pretty much all snapped up before 1:20 and we’re back to all performances being sold out. Returns appear but for only a few minutes.

Just received the following cast change after getting a returned ticket for 3 January:
Monday 1 and Wednesday 3 January, 7.30pm

Leticia Stock is replaced by Sophie Allnatt as Clara

One of the joys of the last couple of days has been my good fortune in finding myself in conversation with Royal Ballet School mothers. On Friday evening (Naghdi/Ball) I was chatting to my neighbour in the theatre and she told me she was over from the US to see her daughter who was a Snow Flake and Angel. She’d joined the Royal Ballet School from the US as a 15 year old and would be graduating in the summer. Apparently the corps were split between Claras and her daughter was dancing whenever Viola Pantusu (that performance) and Sophie Allnatt were dancing which, with the cast changes, meant more performances for her daughter and of course the cinema relay. Her daughter moves on from Nutcracker to Manon, most probably part of the crowd and great experience to be on stage. Her mother was over for Christmas and able to see three shows and will be back for the School’s annual performance.

At the stage door the same night, I’d been seeing friends after the performance so wanted to check if dancers had already left. Yasmine Naghdi had been out early (I think so that younger audience members aren’t having to wait) and then gone back inside. I found I’d asked the mother of one of the party children: her daughter was the young girl who jumps on Grandfather in his wheelchair who was collecting autographs of the Viola cast. She’d also done the cinema relay as part of Sophie Allnatt’s cast. I said I was pretty sure Francesca Hayward had taken that part some 20 years ago - I think this was mentioned in a documentary, perhaps in Dancing the Nutcracker? 
 

A real pleasure to hear about the RBS dancers and then see them on stage the next day at the Saturday matinee. And very good to see Yasmine and Matt at the stage door after their fabulous performance.

19 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

I can imagine that perhaps friends or relatives of a specific dancer might prefer to have the flowers back so they can give them to their own dancer privately.

Many thanks @Dawnstar. I do appreciate that some people may prefer to do as you suggest. If a dancer has to withdraw at short notice, I don’t see any problem in asking for the flowers to go to the dancer originally intended. If it’s at the performance, front of house staff can pass messages on. I don’t get round to organising flowers until a day or two before the performance and I think there’ve only been a handful of occasions when intended recipients have had to cancel but as you say there have been a number of late Nutcracker changes.
Rather than having to deal with a late cancellation by contacting the stage door/front of house, I guess it’s quite reasonable for the sender to include a ‘flowers for named person only’ tag.

Delighted to have stayed for the matinee and blown away by Fumi Kaneko and Will Bracewell - it’s so good to appreciate all the posts on earlier performances having had the thrill of seeing their live performance.

Sorry - posted prematurely as the train started. Good news that at least one train is running but terminating at Preston and the train is trying to accommodate 3 train loads. Anyhow I have a seat and expect to get home this evening.