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Saodan

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  1. Saodan
    Magri replaces Stix-Brunell as Mercedes on 2nd March.
  2. Saodan
    Cast changes used to be annotated in this way, with a footnote. Looking at my cast sheets it would appear this stopped at the beginning of the 2017/18 season. The cast sheet for Mayerling on 13th May 2017 indicates that Takada was replacing Lamb. The cast sheet for Alice on 28th September 2017 does not say that O'Sullivan was replacing Lamb. Neither are noted as debuts, though both were. Incidentally, none of my cast sheets for performances by Ferri, Salenko, and Shklyarov mention that they were guests or their parent company. At least Camargo is not alone...
  3. Saodan
    In the first interval, I overheard a number of people asking the ushers who Camargo was. One said that he and his wife had been through the red programme three times to no avail. There was no indication on the cast sheet that he was a guest or a replacement. Fortunately, the ushers were able to provide the relevant information. Still, a guest artist debuting with the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House would seem like an event that should be announced, rather than passing under the radar.
  4. Saodan
    I see it reading Wei Wang for the first two dates. I believe he danced the role with San Francisco Ballet. Frankenstein is, of course, a coproduction between the Royal Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. I hope Bracewell is on the mend.
  5. Saodan
    Good to hear. I will be interested to see him when I go next week. I just have visions of performances by other companies where older character roles are taken by conspicuously young looking dancers. Also, I saw Yudes do Loschek a number of times and always thought it was a waste of such a talented dancer.
  6. Saodan
    I thoroughly enjoyed Naghdi’s performance and thought her characterisation in act 1 was good. I really felt sorry for Campbell (who was superb all round) having to put up with her self-involved antics. It really made sense of the Young Man’s decision to leave, meaning that the final PdD was all the more powerful as both had learnt from their mistakes. I do agree that some of Naghdi’s dancing may have lacked the precision of Takada’s, but this was made up for by her chemistry with Campbell. Maybe it is just a matter of experience in the role; I hope Naghdi gets the chance to revisit Pigeons soon. Kaneko is an amazing dancer with beautifully crisp and sparky technique, but she seems almost too cultured for gypsy/mistress type roles. I found her to be a particularly sophisticated Mitzi Casper for instance. She makes it work brilliantly, but has a totally different energy to dancers like Calvert and Magri, who seem more earthy. Her Mytha was something to behold though, stern and spookily etherial. I await her Kitri with great anticipation. Thinking of Magri, I got a pair of her pointe shoes a few years back when Olivia Cowley was selling them for charity. This season has made me feel rather smug! I too have misgivings about The Cunning Little Vixen. The choreography seemed derivative: I’m with Lindsay on the Caucus from Alice, also shades of MacMillan in the PdD. The story telling felt acted rather than danced, with no sympathetic characters. Am I supposed to like the Vixen? She was a bully and I was left wishing for Janáček’s ending with the Vixen getting her comeuppance. Also, to my eyes the stage was so barren it had the feeling of a gala piece, giving the unfortunate impression that these dancers were only borrowing the stage and did not belong there. I did, however, enjoy the wonderfully committed and accomplished performances, particularly Madison Bailey and Daichi Ikarashi but everyone really. It really was a pleasure to see the students perform on the main stage and I thank Liam Scarlett for that. They deserve all the plaudits they get and I look forward to getting to know some of them better when they join the company. In the end, 4 of the 9 performances were opened to student standby: 19th Jan, 2nd Feb Matinée, 12th Feb, and 14th Feb. One wonders what affect this will have on the bottom line, especially if Frankenstein is shaping up the same way. Two Pigeons is a brilliant ballet and I hope to see it back soon, but if they can’t shift tickets it can only be a matter of time until it is mothballed once again. Whatever happens, these performances, and particularly the image of Reece Clarke’s ridiculously long neck clucking away, will live long in the memory! Sincere thanks to all concerned.
  7. Saodan
    Is it usual for a dancer to play Sancho Panza as Yudes is doing? I have always presumed it was a role taken by character artists. Also, good to see a comprehensive review of opening night in the Telegraph. Muntagirov's contribution reduced to a parenthetical acknowledgement of his presence... Also, an image of Bonelli and Lamb is captioned as Acosta and Nuñez. Really makes you feel like you were there.
  8. Saodan
    What is that Balanchine quote? “Mr. Ashton and I may make bad ballets, but we never make incompetent ballets.”
  9. Saodan
    Looks like Daniel Camargo, Principle with Dutch Nation Ballet, is replacing William Bracewell as Basilio on 23rd and 27th Feb. I was really hoping Reece Clarke would get the chance if needed, but am sure Camargo will be great. Incidentally, anybody know anything about him?
  10. Saodan
    The hand kiss in question:
  11. Saodan
    RBS/Pigeons on 12th was opened for Young ROH Standby on Thursday. That is three out of six with three to go (19th Jan, 2nd Feb mat, 12th Feb). Unprecedented surely. It is the first time I have seen the decision made so far ahead of time, normally it is the day before. Also, tickets sold very slowly even at the reduced price, normally they are mostly gone within a few hours. There are still some decent seats available. Very sad, the company, the pigeons, and the students deserve better.
  12. Saodan
    Casting for Espada and Mercedes is up on the site.
  13. Saodan
    Student standby tickets are made available very late, normally about 24 hours before a performance, and sell very quickly. It's like a panic button they can hit at the last minute to fill up the theatre. I can see how it could be disconcerting if you are not aware it is happening! Incidentally, at least one of the Two Pigeons performances in 2015 was also opened for student standby. I guess the problems are not new.
  14. Saodan
    There have been some discounts. This is the first time in my 4 years following the company that tickets for two performances of a bill have been made available on the student standby scheme (19th Jan mat and 2nd Feb mat). This means that all remaining tickets (irrespective of price band) are made available to registered students for £10. So perhaps they are getting a younger audience in… at vastly reduced prices. Not quite what the marketing department are after I suspect. I really fear that Two Pigeons will be one of the first casualties of the new marketing initiatives. (caveat: I might be bitter on account of not being able to take advantage of the scheme. I already had tickets for 19th and on 2nd all the trains stopped because a single snowflake was found on the line)
  15. Saodan
    Yes please, if still available. Will PM you.
  16. Saodan
    I would be interested in one. Sending PM.
  17. Saodan
    My spot is front row upper circle on the sides where the price band is lower. Great compromise between price and view, better than a lot of seats at the ROH in my opinion. Especially good if you can get it at a reduced price. It is so much better since the refurb, like a different theatre. I'd give it another go if you get the chance.
  18. Saodan
    I just want to, once again, register my thanks to ENB for six wonderful performances in four days at Southampton and one at the Coliseum. It has been a pleasure to get to know the company better over the past few months. It seems churlish to pick favourites, but McWhinney and Frola rose above the rest for me. I caught two of their shows, and both were brilliantly passionate and nuanced performances. I am particularly delighted that McWhinney has received such praise for a role she has coveted. I hope to see her and Frola dancing together again in the future as this is a partnership that deserves to be nurtured. Romeo and Juliet, perhaps. Other stands out were Cirio as Lescaut (his Des Grieux was good too), Hawes as Mistress, and Velicu and Belini as Trouser Girls. That said, this is a ballet that requires a company performance and everyone rose to the occasion. I really hope that everyone gets an opportunity to revisit their roles in due course. A quick note on some of the points being raised here: On the sets: I want to echo others who have said that this production looks better on a smaller stage. At the Mayflower the sets looked minimal, but evocative, whilst at the Coliseum the stage appeared almost barren at times with a lot more space between stage furniture. This did provide more space for the dancing, but I felt was less impactful overall. On the background activity: I feel that ENB’s approach is perhaps more broad than the RB. For instance, the lead courtesans seemed much more physical, more concerned with fighting each other than dancing, although all did dance wonderfully. I also haven’t seen any RB Lescauts do the slit neck gesture, but all have with ENB. One of the clients out right collapses, rather than just being helped to a chair. This isn’t intended as a criticism, just an observation. Perhaps subtlety comes with greater exposure as in the case of the RB, maybe it was an artistic choice. Either way, it in no way affected my enjoyment. The courtesans were particularly funny in fact (Velicu and Costa come to mind). On ticket sales: During my trip to the Coliseum (18th matinee), it looked like the balcony had been closed. This, on top of the price reductions in Manchester and London, and the closing of the balcony for all performances in Southampton. It looks like ENB’s marketing department is as useless as the RB’s. It seems a travesty that performances of this quality have played to empty seats. This company, and these dancers, deserve better.
  19. Saodan
    Very glad that I got to see Soares as Rudolf this year. Unfortunately my ballet going life coincided with the winding down of his career, but I always enjoyed the drama that he brings to his performances. An extraordinary dance actor. Fond memories also of him partnering Takada for her debut as Giselle. Best wishes for the future. I hope he gets the send off he deserves next season.
  20. Saodan
    Interesting from Louise Levene in the Financial Times: "There are those (my own benighted husband among them) who would rather chew tinfoil than endure all this, but wise balletgoers revere it for its enchanting Messager score, its pretty Jacques Dupont designs and the roles it offers the Royal Ballet’s Ashton stylists." My emphasis.
  21. Saodan
    I didn’t read an agenda in Winship’s review, just a self serving cynicism. She clearly didn’t like Pigeons, which is fine, but could not form a cogent criticism of the choreography or performance. In fact, she begrudgingly praised both. So, she needed to come up with something to support her personal taste. The result appears petty. A shame, as there was much to celebrate about the performance. I saw a diverse young audience, thoroughly enjoying their time at the ballet. Two Pigeons seemed to go down particularly well, rightly too as there were great performances all round (one pigeon excepted). Is this not what we want? Is this not what open up is all about? Incidentally, for all their posturing, you have to wonder what the marketing department are doing. This really is a brilliant programme for casual ballet goers or first timers: light hearted and accessible, but with great artistic depth. It’s easy to sell out Swan Lake, but this is where a marketing department earns their money. I’m not sure they are…
  22. Saodan
    Looks like full casting is going up on the performance pages right now. Who predicted Hallberg for Month in the Country?
  23. Saodan
    Partial casting information released on a Saturday afternoon and only available on the splash page with nothing on the individual performance pages? Looks like someone pressed the wrong button! I'm sure the full details and pdf will be released early next week (as intended, perhaps). Probably best to treat this as a sneak peek, rather than anything else.
  24. Saodan
    Wow!
  25. Saodan
    That's the fastest I have ever brought a ticket. I felt Emma Hawes gave a strong debut as Manon in Southampton, but was let down a little by a lack of chemistry with Pennefather. That should not be a problem with Frola! He and McWhinney were breathtaking and I have confidence that his partnership with Hawes will be particularly special. There are still a heap of tickets left for this date, definitely grab one if you can. Especially as the discount code posted on the special offers forum still works. Of course, best wishes to Pennefather. A real shame if these performances were meant to be his come back.
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