Lizbie1

Now I look again, I see that the upper and lower slips tickets have gone up a rung too, not exactly the "slight variation" promised in the magazine. Good move, RB, squeezing the hardest up in your audience :/

I've just seen the prices - it's not so much the prices themselves which are high, it's that they've kicked a lot of the lower-priced amphi seats up a bracket or two. I note that these seats remain in the previous (lower) bracket for opera, though fairness compels me to say that they remain cheaper for the ballet then for the opera. I wonder whose bright idea that was. Really hope this isn't a permanent change.

About the Albrecht understudies: as Sambe was (IIRC) already injured when the Giselle casting was made public, I'd guess that his Albrecht was announced more in hope than expectation and KO'H will have planned accordingly. Though that may just mean that Ella was already lined up as an understudy when he might not otherwise have been.

I agree that the big announcement is fun (I get as excited about it as I did about unwrapping Christmas presents as a child), but when you are short of time and budget and need to factor in considerable travel costs, the RB and RO announcements do come rather later than is optimally helpful (they're almost the last of the major Western companies to announce plans). If I were keen to see a particular ballet for the first time and Company X have announced they'll be dancing it in September at a theatre which would necessitate an overnighter for me, I could well have made all the arrangements to see it by the time that the RB had said they were scheduling it for the same season. That's OK if I like the ballet enough to see it again, but doubly annoying if I dislike it. Or say I'd concluded that my only chance of seeing an obscure bit of the operatic repertoire was at Glyndebourne this summer: by the time the RO had announced that they too would be staging it, I'd have booked my expensive ticket and accommodation by then, for fear of only the most extortionate of both still being available by April. As a real life example of the kind of thing I'm talking about: not RB but I had a narrow escape this year when by sheer luck I didn't get round to booking for the ENB R&J at the Royal Festival Hall before they announced quite late on that they were bringing it to Bristol in November, which was 1) much cheaper to get to and more convenient for me, and 2) a much more suitable stage for ballet. In short I'd be quite happy with the secrecy if only they'd get a move on with announcing!

As someone mentioned earlier: they do, it's just not widely reported. (I remember our school's electrician getting a gong 30 years ago, for example.)

If you're really interested: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders,_decorations,_and_medals_of_the_United_Kingdom#British_honours_in_the_Commonwealth_realms

For my part, I'll buy as much Ashton as they'll programme (M&A apart, time to give that a rest). Other than that I'd love to see any of the Diaghilev repertoire return.

I think the rules have changed for Australians since Dame Joan, so presumably the same holds for Canada since Seymour's CBE. I think NZ still allows it, though I could be out of date. I remember it being suggested about 20 years ago that NZ might opt out, as it were: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was quoted as being "appalled" at the idea! As for Angelina Jolie's honorary damehood - I'm not sure if these are available to subjects/citizens whose head of state is the Queen.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

One other thing: the blurb on the website and in the back of the magazine says that Scarlett and Macfarlane "will bring fresh eyes to the staging while remaining faithful to the Petipa-Ivanov text." I hope that will steady some nerves.

Balcony row B here, and yes we should arrange something nearer the time

Yes

Snap! I've never seen le Jeune Homme, but apart from that your post could have been written by me

Well, I have my copy in front of me now - a few things I noted are: The article was written by Jessica Duchen, who I gather is more a music specialist than a ballet journalist O'Hare says they "want it to feel like a big, opulent Swan Lake that could only be by the Royal Ballet" Scarlett will create "fresh dances to complement the classic choreography of Ivanov and Petipa" (Duchen's words) "Scarlett has created an entire new Act IV, based on the musical running order that was also used by Ashton" (Duchen's words) As to the ending, the full quote from Scarlett is: "I don't think Tchaikovsky dictates a happy ending. It's bittersweet, and it's tragic. The beauty in the music serves to amplify the tragedy even more." The corps will be in tutus, not long skirts (P.S. - I hope this is within the bounds of what we're allowed to reproduce on this site.)

Ivy Lin, I think that the original poster was speaking in general terms - of course Russians don't *always* dance in pancake tutus, nor English companies in the "gentler" style they talked about, but there are definite trends (speaking as someone whose ballet watching has been almost exclusively in England and Russia, the tendencies are very clear to me). I do agree though that the Bolshoi and Mariinsky seem to be moving away from very flat tutus of late. About time, I'd say!

If anyone does like them, they keep it pretty quiet! Edited to add: I saw this production when it was new in the late 80s as a know-nothing schoolgirl and thought they looked pretty good, though I understand now that they were never the best for displaying dancers to advantage. Tastes change!

She was quite something, wasn't she? Not sure about that headdress, mind!

I haven't yet received my copy of the Friends' magazine, but without knowing who wrote the article in question or its exact wording I'd say it's possible that there's some marketing/journalistic hyperbole going on. Most writers would be unaware of (or not particularly concerned about) the terror those words would strike in some quarters and are merely thinking that talking about "an entirely new fourth act" will generate interest. I recall vividly the furore on here caused by the post on the ROH's website which accidentally carried the suggestion that the designs for Fille were under review.

I too haven't posted about it before because I wasn't crazy about it. One moment summed the whole show up for me: at the very moment of the Waltz of the Flowers' musical climax, the stage empties - a very strange choreographic decision!

I don't think I've seen this announced elsewhere, but here's what the Friends newsletter has to say: "Spring Gala: Wednesday 30 May 2018 "This very special, one off event will feature a glittering line up of Royal Ballet Principals and singers including Bryan Hymel and Kristine Opolais, led by Antonio Pappano and Koen Kessels. We will send you more information on how you can secure your tickets in January, but for now please save the date!" That's all I have - doesn't appear to be on the ROH website yet. Mods: please delete if it's been covered elsewhere.

Very helpful, thank you!

Can anyone tell me the running time for the BRB Sleeping Beauty? For some reason the website's only giving the lengths of each act, which doesn't help when I'm trying to find a cheap train ticket! (I've tried the Hippodrome website but that doesn't seem to say anything either.) Or am I being stupid?

Today was the first time I've seen Sylvia and I loved everything about it, especially that it makes no claim to be anything other than a beautiful thing to look at. Fonteyn was before my time, and I've never seen footage of her Sylvia, but I wonder if those who saw her could tell me if I'm being fanciful: I had the curious sensation watching Osipova today that I was seeing a sort of "tracing" of Fonteyn (not really the right word as it implies that Osipova was not full of her customary dynamism, which she certainly was). I've never had that feeling before - do I make any sense? And if I do is it particular to this role? Apart from that: Muntagirov was just as fabulous as everyone said (I too would love to see him partner Osipova more) and of the rest of the cast Anna Rose O'Sullivan's goat really stood out.

In my view the surtitles couldn't be clearer from mid-amphi and unless a show is poorly directed or the plot overly complex (and neither applies to this Tosca), no advance study is necessary. I hope you enjoy the show - Calleja's Cavaradossi, if you're lucky enough to have him in your cast, should be a real treat.

Sorry for continuing this off topic branch... but! I'm inclined to see that as an argument for eating more UK-reared veal, not less, as it would reduce the chances of the calves having to be exported. Here's another link on the subject: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/21/veal-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall I'll stop now